


Kidnapped By One Direction

by amazingnerd35



Category: Harry Styles - Fandom, Louis Tomlinson - Fandom, One Direction (Band), Twilight, liam payne - Fandom, niall horan - Fandom, zayn malik - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Forks Washington, Kidnapped, Parody, Twilight References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 27,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26115367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amazingnerd35/pseuds/amazingnerd35
Summary: Lily is a 17 year old student. One day, she gets kidnapped by the members of One Direction! Lucky for her, the majority of the members are hot. Which guy will she choose!
Relationships: Harry Styles/Original Female Character(s), Liam Payne/Original Female Character(s), Louis Tomlinson/Original Female Character(s), Niall Horan/Original Female Character(s), Zayn Malik/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. The Story Begins

**Author's Note:**

> I promise I don't hate Liam this much it's just an inside joke between my friend and I.

My name is Lily. I am 17 years old. I am 5'2" and I have black hair and brown eyes. I moved to London when I was 13, with my stepmom. She's a bitch and she's an alcoholic. I'm going to a boujee private school, where I met my best friend, Olivia.

I walked into my first period class, math, ew. I looked around for my amazing friend Olivia, but she was no where to be found. I zoned out through all of class until the bell rung, then I went to my next class. This routine continued all day until the school day was finally done. The entire day, Olivia was absent, which made me extremely lonely. As I was leaving school, on my way to get dinner, I spotted Olivia sitting on a park bench.

I went up to her, but she ignored me. Even when I tried to speak to her, she didn't say anything. I squatted down so we were eye level, but she wasn't even fazed. So I slapped her across the face. She screamed.

"WTF LILY YOU BITCH"

I gasped, "you weren't paying attention to me!"

"I hate you!" She stormed off.

I sulked to a McDonalds then cried in the bathroom. I just lost my best friend. Eventually, I got some nuggets for dinner and left.

I started walking back to my flat. It's late at night and no one's around. Suddenly a white unmarked van pulls up. The door opens, and an ugly man step out. He has a hideous haircut and he's wearing ugly red sweatpants with the mona lisa taped onto them. I look into his shit brown eyes and take a step back.

"Get in." He says simply

"Fuck no." I turned around to walk away.

Then the man sitting in the passenger seat rolled his window down. He had beautiful, wind swept brown hair and sky-blue eyes. He nonchalantly laid a tattooed arm on the door.

"Hey," the gorgeous man said, smiling warmly, "I know this is a lot to take in, but can you come with us? We'll explain it all later."

He was hot af, so I jumped in. I crawled into the backseat so I didn't have to be near the ugly boy. But thankfully there were two attractive men in the backseat anyways, so I sat between them. One had long brown hair that was slightly curly and beautiful green eyes. The other one had short blonde hair and a thick irish accent.

We drove for about 20 minutes. The men introduced themselves as the members on One Direction. They were about to go on tour and they wanted to bring a friend along, but all of their other friends were busy. So they thought they should just kidnap a pretty girl and force her to befriend them. It sounded legit.

We pulled into a long driveway. Harry helped me step out of the van and walked me into the house. He escorted me to my own bedroom, which was bigger than my entire flat!

"When should I go get my stuff?" I asked.

Harry chuckled, "You shouldn't need to go back, you have everything you need right here. We have makeup, clothes, shoes, internet, books, movies, pads."

"Wow," I smiled, "You really were prepared to kidnap someone."

He looked down at me and smiled, "We come prepared for everything."

Someone knocked on the door then, and the handsome man sat in the passenger's seat entered. He had introduced himself as Louis on the drive.

"We contacted your stepmom to let her know we kidnapped you." He ran a hand through his hair nervously, "She uh, didn't seem to mind too much."

I shrugged, "It's ok, I didn't expect her to. You guys already feel more like family then she did."

Louis smiled and wrapped an arm around my waist, "Don't worry love, we're your family now."

I laid my head onto his shoulder, yeah I could get used to this.

Then the ugly man, who's name is Liam, walked in. He started to say something about how he's uncomfortable with the way Harry dresses. Before he could finish, I snatched a high heel from the nearby closet and chucked it at his ugly ass.


	2. Getting to Know the Lads

I woke to the sun streaming through my bedroom window. At my flat, my room was just a closet my stepmom stuck a bed in. I guess I should call it my old flat now. 

I can't believe I live with One Direction! Their house is enormous. I feel like I could sleep in a new room each day for the next 15 days! If I actually did that, the boys would just have to let me sleep in their rooms at least once. Maybe they'll let me do that one day...

I was interrupted from my daydreaming by a knock coming from my bedroom door. Man, it was great to actually have a bedroom door. My bedroom in my old flat didn't have a door. My stepmom ripped it out cause she didn't think I needed it. 

"Come in," 

"Hello, love." The blonde boy entered my room. 

Yesterday, he told me his name was Niall. He's 17, just like me. 

I looked into his beautiful blue eyes. His Irish accent was so sweet on the ears. I was so distracted that I didn't even realize he had said something.

"Uh, Lily."

I shook my head, tearing my eyes away from his face, "Oh sorry, what was that?"

"You have to go school." 

"What!" I immediately jumped out of bed. 

Niall shrugged, "We don't want our new friend to be a dumbass." 

"God, this is annoying."

Begrudgingly, I started to get ready. If it had been Liam or Zayn, I probably wouldn't have obliged. But Niall looked friendly and he was super nice. I had to say yes, even if it meant going to hell. 

I washed my face, then put my dark brown hair in a messy bun. I stared at myself in the mirror. I had piercing brown orbs and golden brown skin. I really wasn't that pretty. I can't believe One Direction kidnapped me! 

I applied a bit of mascara and put on some lip gloss. I then pulled on some black leggings and a floral top. I pulled on some black sandals and decided I was dressed enough. 

I trotted down stairs to get some breakfast. Harry, Zayn, and Liam were all sitting at the dining table (a dining room, WOW. In my flat my mom and I ate on a cardboard box. We sat on the floor), filling their plates with a plethora of food. I stepped into the kitchen to grab a plate myself. 

The kitchen was gorgeous. The counter tops were made of black granite and there was a ton of space. I didn't really cook, but I could imagine learning how to in this spacious paradise. Maybe one of the boys could teach me. They could keep a close eye while standing behind me, feeding me directions while their hands stay firmly on my hips...

A gift was sitting on the kitchen island. It was wrapped in baby blue wrapping paper and it had a golden boy on it. I walked up to it and read the tag. It was for me, from Louis!

I ripped open the beautiful wrapping paper and tore the box open. It was a new schoolbag! I ran back into the dining room, the pink bag clutched in my hand.

"Louis got this for me?" I held up the backpack so they could all see it.

"It had his name on it, didn't it?" Liam smirked.

I ignored Liam.

Harry smiled, "Yeah, since we're making you go back to school, he thought you'd want new school supplies. The bag you were wearing when we stole you wasn't uh... in great condition."

My brown eyeballs fell on the raggedy brown backpack next to the front door. It was falling apart. I hadn't gotten a new one since I was 13, when my dad horrifically got beaten to death by a hippopotamus in Africa. My stepmom decided we needed a new start, so we moved from our small farm in Kentucky to London. 

I hugged the pink backpack. I looked back at Harry's kind, handsome, charming, lovely, sexy face. 

"Where is Louis?"

"I don't know actually." Harry frowned apologetically.

Liam said something but I ignored him.

"He went for a jog." Zayn spoke. 

It was the first time he had said anything. Zayn was definitely a shy, mysterious type. I could understand though, when I moved here I didn't want to speak because I thought people would make fun of my American accent. It was just easier not to talk sometimes. 

I didn't say anything for 2 full years. It wasn't until my stepmom went missing for 36 hours that I finally overcame my fear. I had to ask people for help with my ugly American accent. It turns out my stepmom was just getting some dick, but it was still a defining moment for me.

I thanked him for telling me, grabbed a strawberry from the buffet, then ran with my new backpack out the door. 

I ran up the driveway before I realized, I didn't know where the fuck I was going. I didn't pay attention to where the house was. 

I was about to turn around and ask Zayn to give me a ride in the kidnapper van, but I caught something moving in the corner of my eye. 

Louis jogged towards me. He flipped his brown hair out of his eyes and gave me a bright smile. His shirt was off, revealing his chiseled abs. 

"You look amazing, wearing the backpack I got you." His British accent was luscious.

"Thanks." I said. 

I tilted my head down, and looked up at him. I brushed some hair that had fallen in my face back behind my ear and gave him an awkward smile.

"You off to school?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's just," I shrugged, "I don't know where it is."

"I can show you." He turned around and motioned for me to follow him.

I almost shrieked with joy. A walk with a hot guy? Perfection. 

We shared mad bants about music and cars and how London was so much better than butt-nowhere Kentucky. After a 10 minute walk, we approached the school. 

Louis suddenly snatched my arm and pulled me into the bushes bordering the campus.

"It'll start a riot if people notice me. I should stay hidden." Louis explained.

I nodded in understanding.

"Thank you Louis, I could not have found my school without you."

"Anytime, Lily. Take care, Love. If you need an escort back just text me." 

I pulled out my phone, "Oh wait give me you number-"

"Don't bother." Louis smiled, "We took your phone while you were sleeping and entered all of our numbers."

I grunted, "Even Liam."

"Yeah," He sheepishly scratched the back of his head, "Sorry."

The warning bell rang then.

"Bye Louis, thanks again."

"Of course, anytime."

Louis then crawled out of the bushes on his hands and knees. I watched as he ran away full force, leafs and twigs falling off his chiseled body.

I skipped to first period and plopped into my seat. Instead of having to walk back to my ugly, tiny flat, I get to go home and see the boys. My boys.

I actually have friends now. Real friends.

My excitement started to build it up in me. My hands started shaking and a dumb smile was plastered on my face.

When all of my classmates had sat down, I blurted out, "I'm friends with one direction!"

The class was dead silent. A few people looked a me weirdly, some snickered. The teacher just looked at me for a few seconds, then started class. 

My good mood immediately vanished. I held my tears back the entire day. I payed attention in none of my classes and sat alone at lunch. Finally, once the day finished, I ran all the way back to the house.

I threw open the door and waddled inside. My mascara had melted down my face, all the way to my chin. My brown orbs were red and puffy. I was going to run to my room and sob, but someone grabbed my hand.

I threw my head around to look at Louis. He had taken a shower, so his hair was slightly wet. His blue eyes were full of concern. 

"What's wrong, darling?"

I snatched my hand away and crossed my arms. "You didn't tell the world you kidnapped me! I just assumed everyone would know! I embarrassed myself..."

I sobbed. Louis threw his tattooed arms around me and pulled me into a hug. 

"I'm sorry love, it would've been too unsafe for the world to know you live with us." 

I unfurled my arms and wrapped them around his muscled back. 

We stood there for 15 minutes, encompassed in each other's arms. Then Louis finally broke the silence: "We'll tell our fans, we'll tell the world. Just finish school first. Then everyone will know you're with us."

I nodded and pulled my head from his chest to look at him. Even though I was ugly crying, Louis still looked at me with compassion in his eyes. Was that... love?

No it couldn't be, Louis Tomlinson could pick anyone in the world, why would he fall in love with me? He was just being nice, he couldn't actually like me that much.

"Come on, let's get you some food." 

He grabbed the bag that he gave me this morning and walked me into the kitchen. What a day.


	3. The Best Birthday

It's finally my 18th birthday! 19 years ago today my dad met my mom at a bar in Utah. They hit it off quickly and decided to move in together. After 3 months, they got drunk and forgot to use a condom. 9 months later, I was born! Then my mom ditched us so she could marry her Mormon high school boyfriend and my dad moved to Kentucky, where he met my stepmom. 

My life's been pretty rough so far. It's crazy how everything led to me being kidnapped by one direction. I can't lie- I didn't like them very much at the beginning. I didn't know why everyone found these random blokes on the X Factor attractive. But since I've been living with them, I can see the appeal. Even Liam's been growing on me!

It's been 5 months since I was kidnapped. I've gone to school everyday. I'm even keeping up my grades. The boys have been helping me through my homework. It's so much better to do disgusting schoolwork when they're around. 

Now, it's Christmas break. I can't wait to spend the holidays with my found family. 

I woke up at noon and looked out my window. It was snowing! I grinned and hopped out of bed. 

I pulled on some skinny jeans, a cardigan, and my favorite pair of uggs. I bounced down stairs and into the kitchen. Liam and Niall were there, chatting. Liam had on a black travel backpack.

I stretched my arms and yawned, "Good morning."

"Good afternoon actually." Liam leaned against the kitchen counter. 

Niall was standing with his arm folded across from him. He smiled warmly.

"What's the backpack for?" I asked, while grabbing the carton of eggs.

"I'm uh... I'm going home today." Liam answered.

"Aren't you already home?" I laughed.

"No like, home to my mum and dad." 

I dropped the carton of eggs, "Today?!"

Niall sighed, "I'll clean it up." He left to go clean it up.

"I'm sorry Lily. I know it's your birthday." Liam walked over to me and placed a hand on my cardigained shoulder, "But I have to leave now before the snow gets too bad and my flight's cancelled."

I took a deep breath. Niall came back in and dropped to his knees to start cleaning up my mess. 

"No, I get it Liam. I'm sorry. Tell your family I say hi."

"Well they don't know you exist yet, but the thought still counts." 

I turned to go back to my room and sulk. I didn't even like Liam that much. I still found him ugly, but he was OK i guess. He was there to talk to if literally every other guy was out of the house. But still, it was kind of shitty to for him to leave on my birthday. 

"Oh wait Lily," I turned around, "Wait right here I have your present."

Liam booked it up the stairs to his room, his stuffed backpack jiggling as he moved. I helped Niall clean up the rest of the cracked eggs. I threw away the carton just as Liam came running back downstairs. 

"Happy Birthday, my dear kidnapee." 

He handed me a small box with an unsymmetrical pink bow on it. It was lowkey wrapped really shittily. I smiled and took it from him. I tore into it.

It was a dainty silver necklace with a rose pendant. It was pretty. I don't know why he chose a rose out of all flowers when I am literally named after a different type of flower, but whatever. 

I looked up at him, "It's great. Thanks."

He smiled then strolled to the door to grab his carry-on, "Have a good birthday, yeah? 18's a big number, make it count."

Niall held the door open as he rolled out.

"Hey Niall," I walked up to the blonde boy and slapped a hand on his shoulder, "How would you like to spend the day with the birthday girl, eh?"

"Sorry Lily," he started walking towards his room, making my hand fall off his shoulder and hang limp by my side, "I gotta leave for Ireland tonight. If you woke up earlier we probably could have done something." 

He stalked off into his room to pack. I sighed, shoved the necklace into my cardigan pocket, then walked up the stairs to go find the other boys. Harry's bedroom was the first one in the hallway, so I kicked open his door. 

"AH WTF," He screamed grabbing the covers to cover up his body.

I immediately blushed. Of course I should have assumed he could have someone spend the night, this is Harry Styles I'm talking about. However, I didn't see another person.

"OMG I'm so sorry. And, I'm sorry to whoever's with you..."

Harry looked at me with a quizzical look, "no one else is in here, I just sleep naked."

I was bright red at this point, "I am so sorry."

"It's fine, just uh... can you step outside for a second?"

"Oh! Yes, of course."

I flew into the hallway and slammed the door. 5 months I've been living with these boys and they still make me blush. Incredible. 

After a few minutes, Harry stepped out wearing some sweatpants and a hoodie. 

"OK, I'm decent. What did you need?"

"Are you busy today?"

He raked his hand through his hair, "Yeah, sorry. My sister's in town. I was going to spend the day with her. I know it's your birthday, I got you a gift! Come in, let me show you."

He bolted back into his room and I followed. Harry dug through his closet until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a large rectangular gift, wrapped perfectly in maroon wrapping paper. 

"Here," He handed it to me, "Open it."

I smiled brightly, then settled on my knees so I could rip open the packaging. Inside was a guitar! I shrieked.

"I remembered you said you wanted to learn how to play. And you stepmum wouldn't let you take lessons because she was an alcoholic bastard. And how you made a tried to make a guitar out of threads and cardboard. And how your stepmum got really mad cause you ended up cutting up the cardboard box you used as a dining table. So then you had no dining table. And your shitty guitar didn't even work so you ruined the only thing you could eat on for nothing."

"Thank you Harry. I love it."

I threw myself into his arms. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight.

I did really like Harry. He was kind and calm, and he actually listened. Maybe in another life, I could be with him. But, I think I've already chosen which boy I want to be with.

I pulled away and grabbed the guitar, "You think Louis would teach me?"

His face fell, "Yeah. Any of us could."

"Thank you Harry," I stood up, the red guitar clutched in my hands, "Have fun with your sister."

I swiftly ran out of Harry's room and continued down the hall. My destination was the largest bedroom, at the end of the hall. However, the occupant of the room to my left stopped me in my tracks.

"Whatchu got there?" Zayn asked.

I lifted the guitar to show him, "Harry got it for me, for my birthday."

"Cool, cool. Maybe you'll become a musician and join the band." He winked, then continued walking out of the hallway. He had a suitcase clutched in his hand.

"You don't even celebrate Christmas!"

He stopped and turned around, "What does that have to do with anything."

I crossed my arms, "Why are you leaving."

He shrugged, "Cause everyone else is. The house will be empty."

Tears started to well up in my eyes. 

"I- I'll still be here."

Zayn frowned, then his eyes opened wide like he just remembered something. He dug in his bag and pulled out an envelope. He threw it at me.

I fumbled with it and couldn't get a good grip. It dropped to the floor, making a loud smack. What the fuck was inside it?

"Happy Birthday." Zayn said simply.

And with that, he turned around and left.

I squatted down and picked up the gift. I tore through the envelope to find a birthday card. It had two small kittens on it and the words BEST FRIENDS in large font. Inside the card was a Sephora giftcard for $50. Damn.

I felt the ends of my lips turn upward, just slightly. What a weird house I live in. What weird friends I have. I clutched the card and my new guitar and strolled back to my bedroom. I placed the gift card on my vanity so I would remember to use it and propped Zayn's card on my dresser. I dug Liam's necklace out of my back pocket and untangled it. It did compliment my current outfit pretty well. I put it on.

I placed my guitar on my bed and start to scroll through Youtube on my phone. Maybe some stranger on the Internet could teach me the basics. I started to watch one video, when I heard a knock at my door.

Louis looked particularly dapper today. He had on black skinny jeans and a brown coat. Most of his brown hair was covered by a black beanie. He smiled cheerfully at me.

"Hey birthday girl, wanna take a walk? We could go get some dinner?"

I started to nod but stopped myself. I frowned and sighed, "Won't you be leaving soon? Like everyone else..."

Louis shook his head, "Not on your birthday! I'll be leaving for home later this week. But today is your day."

I flung the guitar of me and sprinted to him. I threw myself into him and grasped him tightly.

"Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you!"

He hugged me back, "You don't have to thank me yet, we haven't even done anything."

He led me out of the house and through the front yard. We walked to a fancy restaurant in the middle of London. 

The hostess led us up to the second floor and sat us a table next to a large window. The sun was starting to set, it was a beautiful view. I looked back at Louis and noticed he had been staring at me the whole time.

"The view is gorgeous." I said.

"I'll bet I'm already looking at something prettier." He smiled at me.

Color rose onto my cheeks and I looked away, embarrassed.

The waiter came and asked for our orders. I ordered a Sprite and the mushroom ravioli. Louis ordered Diet Coke and Garlic chicken.

While waiting for our food to arrive, we talked about Louis' family, Christmas, and the upcoming tour the boys were about to go on.

"You better start preparing." Louis said, "We'll be gone for a while. I can't wait to show you the world."

I gasped, "you're taking me with you!"

He cocked his head, "Of course, why wouldn't we. That's literally the reason why we kidnapped you."

The couple at the table next to us looked over quizzically. I smiled at them to show them that even though I was kidnapped, I was having a great time!

"When do we leave?" I exhaled.

"In about a month."

"Perfect." I shrieked, "I can't wait!"

Our food came at that point. It was the best birthday dinner I'd ever had. Louis even let me try some of his chicken. 

When it was time to pay the bill I realized, I didn't bring my wallet! I probably only had 5 cents in there anyways, but I still thought it was rude for Louis to pay for it all. 

I slapped my forehead, "OH NO, i forgot my purse."

Louis chuckled, "no worries, I got it."

He payed for our meal then we left the restaurant. He led me to a pastry shop, where I picked out some eclairs. He paid for those too, like the gentlemen he was. We then found a bench with a scenic view to sit on. I pulled out the eclairs and handed him one. 

They were delicious! I ate mine in one bite. I was about to exclaim how good they were, when Louis cleared his throat.

"Lily."

I wiped off the chocolate from my mouth, "Yeah?"

He smiled and pulled out a box from his pocket, "Happy Birthday,"

I took the box and opened it. It was a ring! The thing silver material formed a delicate heart. It fit my ring finger perfectly.

"It's beautiful Louis, thank you so much." 

I looked up at him and noticed he had scooted closer to me. I've never had a boyfriend before, hell, I've never even kissed anyone! But right now, in that moment: sitting under the London city lights with Louis' ring on my finger, I felt brave.

I leaned in and closed my eyes. This was about to be one of the most important moments of my life. I was ready.

"Wut the fuck are you doing mate."

My eyeballs that were the color of dirt flew open. I started to blush, "I- I-"

"OH." He threw his head back and laughed, "Were you gonna kiss me?"

I looked at my feet and nodded, sorrowfully. 

"Well come 'er 'en."

Louis grabbed the back of my head and pulled me into a kiss. 

It was...

Amazing...

Brilliant...

Show-stopping...

I threw my arms around him and wrapped them around his neck so I could deepen the kiss. After what felt like a split-second, Louis pulled away. His blue eyes were astonishingly bright. He took a hand away from my head to fix his hair.

"Well, that was quite the birthday, wasn't it."

I was smiling like a dumbass, "Definitely."

He smirked, then stood up. He turned around to offer me a hand.

"Come on, let's go home."

We walked back to the house, hand in hand. By the time we returned, it was 1 am. The house was empty, which made me feel super sad.

"I didn't even get to say bye to Niall," I frowned.

Louis wrapped an arm around my waist, "They'll all be back soon enough."

He looked at his watch, "I should start packing, my flight is early in the morning."

I tried not to think about how bored I'll be without any of them here. The house would be so lonely. Maybe I should text my stepmom or go see if I could rekindle my friendship with Olivia. But right now, I'm going to focus on the hot man that is about to get on a flight.

"Thank you Louis, for everything."

He smiled, "Of course. I hope your 18th birthday was everything you wished it to be."

I couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah, it was."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if there's spelling/grammatical errors. I write this thing in one go then post without proofreading it lmao.


	4. The Start of Something New

"I can't wait to go on tour with you guys!" I exclaimed.

In two days, I would go on tour with the One Direction. We still had a lot of stuff to pack before we were truly prepared to hit the road for 4 months. It was going to be an adventure.

Since I'd be gone for so long, I forced my school to let me graduate early. It meant doing a shit ton of schoolwork and cheating on online tests by having all 5 boys help me, but I've done it. I was officially finished with school.

Niall smiled at my shout of excitement. He seemed nervous but elated to go on such a huge tour. 

"What city are you excited to go to the most?" He asked.

"Hmm, I don't know. I'm excited to see Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Indianapolis, Indiana And Columbus is the capital of Ohio There's Montgomery, Alabama, south of Helena, Montana Then there's Denver, Colorado, under Boise, Idaho Texas has Austin, then we go north To Massachusetts, Boston, and Albany, New York Tallahassee, Florida, and Washington, D.C. Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Nashville, Tennessee Elvis used to hang out there a lot, ya know Trenton's in New Jersey north of Jefferson, Missouri You got Richmond in Virginia, South Dakota has Pierre Harrisburg's in Pennsylvania and Augusta's up in Maine And here is Providence, Rhode Island, next to Dover, Delaware Concord, New Hampshire, just a quick jaunt To Montpelier, which is up in Vermont Hartford's in Connecticut, so pretty in the fall And Kansas has Topeka, Minnesota has St. Paul Juneau's in Alaska and there's Lincoln in Nebraska And it's Raleigh out in North Carolina and then There's Madison, Wisconsin and Olympia in Washington Phoenix, Arizona, and Lansing, Michigan Here's Honolulu, Hawaii's a joy Jackson, Mississippi, and Springfield, Illinois South Carolina with Columbia down the way And Annapolis in Maryland on Chesapeake Bay They have wonderful clam chowder Cheyenne is in Wyomin' and perhaps you make your home in Salt Lake City out in Utah, where the Buffalo roam Atlanta's down in Georgia, and there's Bismarck, North Dakota And you can live in Frankfort in your old Kentucky home Salem in Oregon, from there we join Little Rock in Arkansas, Iowa's got Des Moines Sacramento, California, Oklahoma, and its city Charleston, West Virginia, and Nevada, Carson City."

He smiled, "I'm excited for those places too. I think it'd be really cool if we could go to Forks when we're in Washington."

I shrieked, "That'd be great."

One day three weeks ago, I was having a really bad day. I was remembering how shitty my life was before I was kidnapped, with my stepmom. I hated that flat. I hated my bedroom that was really a closet. I hated our fridge, that was really just a cardboard box with freezer packs in it. I hated our pet cat that was really a rat that I hot glued fabric cut in the shape of triangles to. I hated the shower curtain that served as our door cause my mom sold the door to afford booze.

Niall came into my room and saw me sulking. In an attempt to make me feel better, he suggested we had a Twilight marathon. It immediately made me happier. Those movies were my childhood! It was amazing to share them with my friend.

Now, Niall was a Twihard. Most of our conversations consisted of lines from the movies or inside jokes we created during that marathon. After that day, Niall and I became very close.

I was getting closer to the other boys as well. But... it seems like Louis has started to drift away. After we shared our first kiss, he left for his hometown. He was with his family and I invited my stepmom over so we could rekindle our deteriorated relationship, so we didn't talk much.

Once he got back, he still barely talked to me. I tried to talk to him about what we were, how he felt about that kiss, but he ignored me. I even asked the other guys, but they just said he was stressed about the upcoming tour.

Two could play at that game. I decided to ignore him as well. I tried not to think about his sea blue eyes or his windswept hair. Or how chiseled his abs are when he goes for his morning run. Or how his sweet compliments made me blush so much.

Nope. I didn't think about those things at all. I just focused on my growing friendship with Niall and practicing guitar.

"Hey," Niall spoke, leaning against the kitchen island.

He wore a simple white T-shirt and black pants. He ran a hand through his blonde hair. When he smiled, his bright blue eyes crinkled.

"Once you're done packing, wanna go to the movies?"

"Sure!" I smiled, "Let me pack my jackets, then I'll be ready."

I raced up the stairs, almost knocking into Liam on the way. His brown eyes glanced at my neck and he smiled. I was still wearing the rose necklace he got me. I hadn't taken it off since my birthday. I also hadn't taken off Louis' ring. Maybe I should just to see if he would notice.

I flew into my room and stepped into my walk in closet. My collection of clothes were slowly growing. I'd go out with the boys a lot and they'd buy me whatever clothes I wanted. Well, except for Louis, I hadn't asked him for clothes since Christmas break.

I grabbed a few jackets and shoved them into my luggage. Then I walked to my vanity and started packing some makeup products. When I arrived at the house, the boys had already chosen some makeup for the girl they were going to kidnap. But with Zayn's giftcard, I was able to get a bunch more that I liked personally.

After I loaded my makeup bag up and stuck that into my suitcase, I zipped up my 2 suitcases. I decided to just leave them on my floor for now, I can have one of the boys carry them to the car later.

I threw on my puffy coat and some uggs, then skipped down the stairs. Niall was waiting, having changed into a long sleeve gray shirt and vest.

He grinned at me, "Ready?"

I nodded and together we galloped to the movie theater.

"What do you want to watch?" He asked.

"Hmm" I looked up at the movie listings on top of the ticket kiosk, "How about Ratatoing? That looks interesting."

He nodded, and got in line to buy the tickets. We bought popcorn, soda, and candy. The theater was pretty empty.

The movie was amazing. The lead rat really reminded me of Steve Rogers. I laughed and cried during the movie. It was an emotional roller coaster.

Occasionally I looked over at Niall. During the sad scene where the lead rat has to choose between his rat family or his love of cooking, he started crying. He looked back at me, tears streaming down his face. He looked like he... loved me. Like he cared about me deeply.

He chuckled and looked away quickly. But I couldn't stop thinking about that look.

When the movie ended we left the theater. Niall suggested we go to dinner. Of course I agreed.

He took me to Mexican restaurant. He held the door open for me and pulled my chair out for me, like a gentlemen.

We sat down and ordered. I could tell something was up. He was really quiet the entire walk here.

"What's wrong?" I finally asked.

He looked at me, then sighed. He bit his lip nervously.

"Lily..." He started.

"Yes Niall?"

He started blushing, "I- I really like you. A lot. Especially after seeing that movie with you. You were glowing the entire time. You were so invested. You looked... You looked beautiful Lily."

I started blushing, "Oh Niall..."

"I was wondering," He cleared his throat, then grasped my folded hands in his, "Will you be my girlfriend."

Immediately, my mind jumped to Louis. We shared a passionate kiss, but he never asked me to date him. And here I was, a hot, nice guy asking me to be his girlfriend. At least Niall has the balls to actually ask me out.

"Yes," I smiled, "I'll be your girlfriend."

Niall beamed and kissed my hands.

That should get Louis talking. I'm about to walk back into the house with Niall as my boyfriend. That'll get a reaction out of him. Probably.

Niall chuckled, "I can't wait to go on tour with you, as my girlfriend. We'll get to go to so many cool places. I can't wait to show you the world."

That's what Louis said to me. Did he even want me to be his girlfriend? Then why did he let me kiss him. Why did he stay and spend my birthday with me? And if he did want to date me, why be such a dick now? Why not ask me out like Niall just has?

I squeezed Niall's hands, "I can't wait."

I tried to erase Louis from my mind. Here I was, with my boyfriend. Niall Horan was my boyfriend. My life had taken such a turn in just 6 months.

We ate our Mexican food and walked back to the house. Niall was about to unlock the door when I stopped him.

"Should we tell them..." I spoke.

Niall cocked his head, "Why not? They're my best mates. They deserve to know we're dating now."

Niall unlocked the door and we stepped inside. Everyone was in the living room watching something on the TV. Including Louis.

Niall cleared his throat. The 4 other boys turned their attention towards us. Zayn turned the TV off.

"I have an announcement." Niall said.

He slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me close. I giggled and snuggled my head into his neck.

"Lily and I are dating."

My eyes were fixed on Louis. He seemed shocked, then... was that anger? However, his face quickly fell back into indifference.

Liam clapped his hands, loudly, "That's great guys!"

"No sex on the tour bus." Zayn said with no emotion.

"Yeah," Harry chuckled and took a swig of his beer, "Or else the rest of us will have to Zayn."

Zayn frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Louis cleared his throat then. He stood up.

"Well, if you guys are being honest, then I should be too."

He looked right at me, "I have a girlfriend."

I felt like I had been shot.

"Since when?" Harry asked.

"Since Christmas." Louis answered.

Louis and I stared at each other for a while. I felt like I had been... betrayed. What was that kiss for then? Cause he felt bad for me? Cause he knew that he'd go back home and pick up a hotter girlfriend so he might as well fool around beforehand?

"What's her name?" Niall broke my concentration.

"Gertrude, but she goes by her middle name, Bertha."

Harry stood up and patted Louis on the back, "Thanks for telling us mate, I can't wait to meet her."

I slipped my hand into Niall's and drug him across the room.

"I'm tired, I think we're gonna head to bed." I explained.

"Use a condom." said Zayn.

I led Niall up the stairs and into my room. I threw myself on the bed. He gently sat down at the edge.

"I'm glad we told them." Niall spoke, "I'm surprised Louis opened up like that. He's been acting weird lately."

I sighed, "I wonder who this Bertha chick is and how she got him in a matter of a week."

Niall shrugged, "As long as he's happy, I couldn't care less."

He looked over at me and smiled, "I hope you're happy too."

I looked into his beautiful blue eyes. They reminded me of Louis.

"I am," I answered. I crawled over to him and sat next to him.

He exhaled, "Are you?"

"Let me show you how happy I am,"

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. His hands wrapped around my waist and he hoisted me into his lap.

We kissed for a while, until I pulled back for air. He smirked.

Yes. Tour would be fun.


	5. You're the Edward to my Bella

"I've never been on a private jet before," I explained.

"It's amazing," Harry said, smiling at me, "You'll never want to get into a regular plane again."

Liam slapped his hands on my shoulders, "You'll finally feel what jet lag is like, not plane lag."

Harry helped me up the steep steps into the jet. It was pretty long, with a sleek black exterior. Inside, it was... magnificent. There was about 10 comfy beige seats and a bathroom in the back.

Zayn and Louis were already sitting next to each other, chatting about something. Louis still wasn't talking to me. Which is fine, cause I wouldn't want to talk to him anyway. He has a girlfriend now.

I turned away from him and saw Niall standing in the back. He motioned for me to come join him. We took two window seats that were facing each other, with a small table in between us.

"Are you nervous?" He questioned, reaching a hand across the table and intertwining his fingers with mine.

"No, I don't think I am." I replied.

Flights didn't really bother me. Trust me, I had many irrational fears. Beetles, Hippos (specifically thicc ones), babies named Gregory, men that are under 5'5", the color green, etc. But flying has never bothered me. Especially flying with my new boyfriend.

"I'm so happy we're going to Washington first." Niall said, "We should be able to go to Forks in two days!"

"I know," I replied, "I'm excited."

The boys will have their first show in Seattle tomorrow, then we'll have to leave the next night to drive to Oregon. That leaves an entire morning for us to spend the day in Forks.

We decided to have another Twilight marathon during the flight. What else would we do for 10 hours? I started to fumble in my bag for the DVDs when Niall spoke.

"Come over here," He motioned for me to sit in the seat next to him.

I obliged. He then hit a button that was on the armrest. A large screen came down from the ceiling, right over the table.

I gasped, "That's so cool."

I handed Niall the DVD and he inserted it into the DVD player that was installed in the armrest.

"Wow," I whispered as Niall booted up the movie.

"I know," Niall said, "It's really lavish."

"It's just... I'm not used to all this. All this technology and... space really," I smiled up at him, "It's amazing."

Niall's bright blue eyes stared back into my brown ones, "I'm just glad I can share it with you."

He pecked my lips quickly, just as the beginning of the movie started to play.

I glanced over and noticed Louis was looking at us, at me. When I met his eyes, he held my gaze for a second, then looked back at Harry. I tried to ignore it and looked back at the screen. I'll figure out how Louis feels about me later. And how I feel about him.

I enjoyed watching all the Twilight movies for the 18th time. Niall and I cracked jokes, repeated dumb lines, and overall had a great time cuddling on the private jet. At one point Liam hovered next to us and started watching. He made it about 27 minutes before he walked away. Uncultured.

Finally, as the end credits of Breaking Dawn Part 2 were rolling, our jet landed in Seattle. It was late at that point, so we were all ready to crawl to our hotel and get into bed.

We all jumped into a large black van. I mentioned how the van looked like the white van the boys had kidnapped me in. They all chuckled fondly. The driver looked a tad worried.

We were taken to a fancy hotel room. We got hotel keys to three different suites, all on the 22nd floor. We climbed into the elevator and rode to the floor our rooms were on. After sauntering down the hallway and finding the rooms, all right next to each other, we divvied up the keys.

Louis snatched one out of my hands and swaggered towards a door.

"Harry, follow me." He called.

Harry shrugged, "Good night guys, sleep well."

Harry followed him into the room.

Zayn grabbed the other key, "Liam can stay with me... and Niall... I guess... If you don't want him to sleep with you... It's your choice... He told me you guys didn't have sex last night...So I get it if you don't want him to share a room with you..."

"ZAYN," Niall blushed, "You can stop talking now. Lily doesn't have to do anything with me until she's ready."

He turned to me, "I can sleep in your room if you want, or I can stay with them. It doesn't matter to me. What do you want, Lily?"

I grabbed his hand, "You're my boyfriend Niall. I would be happy to share a room with you."

"It's settled then," Liam said.

Liam clapped a hand on Zayn's shoulder, "See you guys in the morning. Our first show for this tour! I'm excited," He steered Zayn towards the door.

Niall and I said our goodbyes then moseyed into the room. Our room.

It was ginormous. A huge queen sized bed stared at me, next to a large window. There was a flat screen hung on the wall above a black TV stand. An obsidian black desk sat in the corner of the room.

I ventured into the first door on my left, the bathroom. I was large of course, with a pristine white sink and gray shower. I quickly shut the door and changed into my pajamas, then walked out of the bathroom.

"This place is great." I said to Niall, who was sat on the bed.

I sat plopped down next to him and yawned. He looked nervous.

"We don't have to do anything tonight Lily, I don't want you to feel pressured just because we're sharing a bed."

I waved a hand dismissively, "It's fine Niall. I'm too tired to do anything tonight anyways."

I crawled into the bed and snuggled under the covers, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Love" Niall answered.

As I was drifting off to sleep, I couldn't help but imagine Louis sharing this bed with me. I envisioned his tattooed, tan chest flush against my back and he cuddled me until I fell asleep.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was witnessing my first One Direction concert. It was quite something. I tried not to pay attention as they half-assed their way through soundcheck, so I could get the full experience when the actual concert happened.

It was amazing. Beautiful. The five of them put on a wonderful show. There were so many fans in the arena, screaming for them. For my friends.

I sat on an upside down bucket backstage. I could only see my mates when they drifted towards the back of the stage. But I could hear them singing perfectly.

I was screaming along to I Would, a personal favorite, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see a woman in her early 20's. She had a mullet that was puke green color hair. Her skin was so pale, she looked ill. She had on a tank top with vertical stripes and a skirt with horizontal stripes. She was wearing insultingly neon green crocs.

"You must be Lily," She stuck out a hand. Her fingernails were intensely long. How is she able to wipe her ass?

"That's me," I begrudgingly shook her hand. Her bright pink acrylics tickled my arm.

"I'm Gertrude Bertha Olga Pickles. But you can call me Bertha."

Louis' girlfriend?!

My face formed the shape of an "O" because I was so shocked.

"Y-You're L-L-L-L-"

"I'm Louis' girlfriend." She gave me a shit-eating grin. She had on bright orange lipstick.

I shook my head, "I didn't realize you were here? Louis never-"

"I'm surprising him," She giggled. It was an annoying ass giggle.

I hesitantly nodded. I can't believe Louis' dating her.

She grabbed a bucket and sat down beside me. She sang along with each song, loudly. Finally I couldn't take her ugly singing and started asking her questions.

"So uh, how did you and Louis meet?"

"I'm from his hometown, his mum's friends with mine. They introduced us over Christmas and, what can I say?" She smiled, "Sparks flew."

I tried to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

I opened my mouth to ask her something else, but I heard Liam scream "THANK YOU" so the concert must've been done. The boys stumbled backstage. Louis was last to run off. His eyes met mine first, then he realized his girlfriend was next to me.

All 5 stages of grief flew across his face at once. He grimaced as he walked up to her.

"Bertha... hi."

"LOU-BEAR!" she shrieked. She stood up and threw her arms around him.

They hugged for a good while. Louis looked like he kept trying to untangle her but she held on tight.

Niall walked up to me and placed an arm around my waist. I told him how great the concert was as we waited for Bertha to release Louis.

Finally, Bertha pulled away.

"Lads," Louis began, "This is my girlfriend..."

"It's nice to meet you." Zayn spoke, holding a hand out.

He almost yanked it away in disgust when he saw how long her nails were. He swallowed his vomit and shook her hand.

The boys all took turns shaking her vampire pale hand. Louis kept trying to meet my eyes but I stared hard at the floor.

Liam suggested we give the couple their alone time so the rest of us went back to the hotel. We settled down in Harry's room and ordered room service.

By the time Niall and I slipped into our bed, they still hadn't returned. Where the hell had they gone off to?

——————————————————————————-------------------------------------------------------------

I crawled out of the Uber and gasped in aw. 

Forks, Washington. It looked just like it had in the movies!

The Uber had let us out right in front of the museum. Niall walked up behind me and placed an arm around my waist.

"You excited?" He asked.

"Yes!" I laughed, "I can't believe we're really here!"

We had woken up hella early to get here at a decent hour. Louis and Bertha had greeted us in the lobby as we were heading out. Bertha exclaimed how much she loved Twilight and how the Volturi were her favorite characters. She especially loved Caius and thought he was super hot. I personally think he looks like Jeffree Star. 

She acted like she was inviting herself to go along with us, that bitch. I told her that Niall and I wanted to go to spend time together... alone. Louis grabbed her arm, bid us farewell, and pulled her to the elevators.

We walked into the museum. We spent about 2 hours there, walking around and taking pictures. I wandered through a dimly lit room and glanced over at the corner. My eyes caught a small figure standing inside a glass box. It looked horrendous. My heart started racing and I booked it out of the room.

"Niall!" I was practically screaming.

I raced to where he was standing by Bella's wedding dress and dragged him to me.

"I saw Chuckesmee."

"What! Where?"

Niall followed me into the back room. The ugly doll stared back at us with dead eyes. 

Niall started laughing hysterically.

"It looks like Bertha," He said quietly.

I fell to the floor in tears. I was laughing so hard my legs had given out on me. We laughed together for a good while, until Niall helped me up from the floor and squished me into his side.

"No but seriously, what is her deal. Louis has never gone after a girl like that." Niall said.

"What girls does he usually go after?" I innocently asked.

"Oh ya know, brunettes with brown eyes that are short and beautiful..."

Niall cleared his throat.

"Uh... wanna go see Bella's house now?" I asked to break the awkwardness.

Niall nodded.

We walked through the small town of Forks until we saw Bella and Charlie's house. It was quaint but nice looking. They didn't have it open so you can go inside, but we took pictures of the outside.

Then we slowly made our way to the Cullen's house. This was what I was most excited for. It was in a secluded area, among the large trees. The inside was available to the public.

We roamed around inside. Not many other tourists were here during this time of year. Eventually, another family left. Niall and I had the house to ourselves.

"Hey, follow me. I wanna find Edward's bedroom." I called over to Niall.

He followed me up the stairs. We checked each room until I recognized Edward's room. A lot of the furniture was roped off to show you weren't supposed to sit on it. 

Fuck it. I was kidnapped by One Direction. Nothing was going to stop me.

I stepped over the rope and slid onto the bed. Niall heard me move and turned around to see me spread across it. 

"Lily," His eyebrows rose in alarm.

"No one's here," I laughed, "No one can stop us."

He looked at the door to make sure no one was coming. Then he stepped over the rope and joined me. He shimmied next to me, and propped himself up onto an elbow. His face was inches away from mine.

"Thank you for taking me here," I whispered."

He smiled, "Of course. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

I closed my eyes and rose up to connect our lips. But they never connected. My eyes flew open to see he had pulled back.

"Niall-"

"Lily." Niall exhaled. His face with distorted with grief, "I know you like Louis."

I flew up until I was sitting, "That's not-"

"Don't lie to me."

He wasn't even mad. He didn't yell. He was just... sad. 

My face dropped and my shoulders drooped.

"I've seen the way you look at him. The way you look at Bertha. You looked... horrified when Louis told us he had a girlfriend."

He turned away from me, "I know I'm your second choice. I thought I could live with that. But now, I don't think I can."

Tears welled up in my eyes, "Niall..."

I sighed, "I'm sorry. Louis and I kissed just before Christmas. And I... I can't get him out of my head,"

Niall dragged a hand through his blonde locks, "I think it'd be best... if we broke up."

I squeezed my eyes shut, tears flowing down my cheeks. But I nodded.

It was shitty for me to do that to Niall. Even though I did like him... my heart still belonged to Louis.

"I'm sorry Niall," I sobbed.

He slid off the bed and climbed over the rope. 

"Come on," he said softly, "We gotta get on the tour bus,"

I quietly followed him. I dragged myself down the stairs and out of the Cullen house.

Wow. I just got broken up with in one of the most romantic cities in the world. Yay me.

Niall called an Uber to take us back to the hotel. He saw how destroyed I was and placed a warm hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, I think it would be better for all of us if we just remained friends."

I nodded. I wiped my nose then stood up straight and looked him in the eyes.

"I had a great time with you today. I'm sorry I... I lied. Or didn't tell you the whole truth. You're an amazing guy Niall. I can't wait for you to meet the girl of your dreams who will care about you everyday."

He gave me a sad smile, then pulled me into a hug. We stood there chatting about our favorite things we saw today while waiting for the Uber.


	6. A Day in Paris

We've been on tour for about a month now. It was a blur. We'd drive to a new state, do a concert, then leave the next morning for a new state. We got through about half the country before flying to Europe. We're now in Paris- the most romantic city in the world. And I don't even have a boyfriend.

Niall and I have stayed close since our breakup. It really was for the better that we decided to just be friends. We talk about our morning in Forks often, skipping over the sad ending. 

Even Louis' talked to me a bit more in this past month. Bertha stayed with us as we drove to Oregon but flew home to wherever the fuck she lives after the show. She said she grew up in Louis' hometown but she has a thick southern accent. She makes no sense.

Louis and I have had a few friendly bants. He keeps his distance though, never letting himself get to close to me. It sucks, having this guy you really like stay away from you just because he has an ugly girlfriend. 

We were all chilling in one hotel room after the Paris show, except for Harry. He had gone out to get a gift for his mum. The rest of us were too tired to venture out tonight.

"Lily," Louis sexy voice felt warm in my ears, "Come look at this,"

I walked over to where he was laying on the bed, propped up on his elbows. I crawled next to him and looked at his phone.

It was a video of a cute baby pig trying to fit inside a shoe. We laughed beside each other. I was intensely aware of how close I was to him. I nonchalantly shifted my arm so it was flush against his tan, tattooed one. 

I flinched as he slowly moved his hand to touch my wrist. I stopped breathing, fearing that any sudden movements would make this moment disappear.

His fingers lazily stroked down my hand, soothingly. This if the first time we've touched each other in two months. My body was on fire. I didn't even notice the video had played 5 times.

My concentration on Louis touching me was broken by Harry flinging the door open.

"Lads!" He shouted, gently setting down a petite shopping bag he had with him, "Mardi Gras is tomorrow!"

Louis quickly rolled away from me until he fell off the bed. He hit the floor with a thud. 

"Wait, that's great! I've always wanted to party in France during Mardi Gras." Liam rose from the floor.

Louis had tumbled into a seating position on the floor, "That'd be great guys. See y'all in the morning."

He quickly got up and walked out of the room.

I tucked my knees into my chest and pouted. Does he like me or does he not. I stared at the ring he gave me for my birthday. 

My eyes wandered to Niall, who gave me a sympathetic look. I excused myself and went to my hotel room. I get my own room cause I'm a girl.

I tossed and turned for a while. Here I am in Paris, the city of love. But the guy I love doesn't love me back. What a shame. I hate my life.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I got up at around 9 am and got ready. I put on a bedazzled dark purple bralette and matching shorts. I did a full face of makeup, with silver eyeliner and lipstick. I put on knee-high high heeled silver boots. 

The ring Louis gave me fit the outfit too. I had stopped wearing Liam's rose necklace. I got it stuck in a table so it broke. But, I would feel naked without Louis ring. I smiled at it.

I took a few selfies in the mirror and then walked out of the bathroom. I was about to leave when I noticed a present sitting on my bed.

I walked over and examined it. It was in a baby blue box. The tag read For Lily, Have Fun at Mardi Gras -Louis <3\. 

What are with these mixed messages. If he actually likes Betha and doesn't like me why wouldn't he just leave me alone? Why get me gifts and purposefully touch my arm.

I opened it gently. Inside was a purple and silver masquerade mask that matched my outfit perfectly. When would he have had time to get this?

I put it on. It looked perfect. I flew downstairs to the lobby to show the boys.

Only Liam and Louis were down there. The other boys had already gone out I assumed.

Louis smiled brightly at me, but his smile quickly fell. I realized why when I heard a shitty Southern accent sound off behind me.

"LOU-BEAR!" yelled Bertha. Her normal speaking voice was loud as hell. It did not belong in this fancy French 5-star hotel.

She was a neon green dress with fringe. She had on brown cowboy boots. 

She skipped up to Louis and took his hand, "Hey y'all! I flew in yesterday so Louis and I could enjoy Mardi Gras together!"

Louis apologetically smiled at me. 

"Well you guys have fun, I guess Lily and I will go out and try to find the other boys." Liam said.

Louis turned to his ugly girlfriend, "You go on, I have to talk to them for a minute."

Bertha kissed him on the cheek. Some of her shit brown lipstick got on his face. He quickly smeared it off while she hopped away. 

"I gotta use the bathroom." Louis nodded his head appreciatively at Liam. 

Liam wandered off to the lobby restrooms.

Louis put a hand behind his head and gave me a nervous smile, "You look really good in that mask I gave you."

"Yeah thanks, it goes with my outfit perfectly."

He looked deep into my eyes, "I hope you have a good time today Lily,"

He turned to walk away but I caught his arm. I stared into his beautiful blue eyes. God, I talking to him. Being in his arms.

"Break up with her," I said, "I want you to be my boyfriend Louis."

He looked distraught. But his eyes were filled still filled with warmness. He looked like... he loved me. 

"I-I can't Lily," He slowly backed away, "I'm sorry... I'm not good enough for you."

He trotted away, grabbed Bertha's acryliced hand, and led her outside. 

Liam strolled up to me. He was wearing yellow sweatpants with a picture of the thinker taped onto his left thigh. A grey tanktop covered his chest.

"Ready to go?" He asked, cheerfully.

"Liam, what's France's drinking age?"

"18" 

I cracked my knuckles, "Good. Give me uh five minutes."

I slipped away and sped into the hotel bar. It wasn't open yet, but a bartender was behind the bar cleaning. 

I slapped down a 20, "Get me a few shots."

The bartender looked down at the cash, then at me, "We're not open."

I set down another 20. 

He sighed, "Fine. What do you want."

"Whatever's strongest."

He filled up three shots of something, then set them down. I slurped them quickly. IT BURNED THE WHOLE WAY DOWN.

"T-Thanks my man," I stumbled out of the bar and back to Liam.

"What did you do Lily," He crossed his arms.

"I," I slapped a hand on his shoulder. I missed and his the top of his head, "Am celebrating Fat Tuesday."

I grabbed his wrist and attempted to drag him out of the hotel.

"Wait," He pulled me back, "You're drunk. You should stay in your room."

I yanked my arm away. I flushed with anger.

"I am not a child Liam Payne! I am going to celebrate Mardi Gras whether you are coming or not."

I started strutting out. I almost broke my ankle. High heels was not the way to go today. 

Liam hurried up to me and grabbed my waist, "Ok drunkard, let's go see Paris."

We stumbled out onto the street. It was...overstimulating. 

Everyone was dressed in bright colors. They had dozens of beaded necklaces handing around their necks. Some people had masks on like me, but many just had elaborate makeup looks or funny glasses. 

And absolutely everyone was hammered. 

Well except for the children.

There were a good number of children. They were dressed in fun puffy costumes, all dark green or purple. 

I saw a person selling pastries down the street. I was off.

"WAIT LILY," Liam called after me. I barely heard him.

I bought three pastries and gobbled them down. I kept striding down the street, focusing on the dancers in the road, the smells of the delicious food, the vibrant colors in everyone's costumes.

Liam tried to keep up with me. I made it a game to attempt to get away from him. Every so often I'd grab a drink from a stand and chug it down. 

I had been wandering through the streets for quite a while now. Time swirled by me like the dancers twirling their ribbons. I took random turns and shimmied down random alleys. 

I ended up on a wide road. A parade was going on! There were groups of people riding on the floats, throwing beads at the viewers. 

I grappled for the necklaces, but no one would throw them to me. As I looked around, I realized that there weren't any children around. The people around me were dressed in skimpier clothing, with small strips of fabric hiding their genitalia. 

I realized what I had to do.

As a new float came by, I snatched the end of my bralette and revealed myself. 

Everyone around me cheered. All of the people on the float chucked their beads at me. I swear, I got 50 beads. 

Another float came by and I was about to do my trick once more, when I heard someone screaming my name.

Was it Louis? Was he here to confess his love to me? Was he bringing Bertha here so I could beat her up and rip off her ugly acrylics?

"Louis!" I hollered, turning around.

Liam was staring back at me. I almost screamed in frustration. He stared at my neck in dissatisfaction.

"Lily," He was furious, "What did you do to get those beads?"

"Why does it matter," I rolled my eyes and started swaggering away.

He snatched my arm and pulled me into a nearby bar. It was pretty crowded, everyone hot and tired from the festivities of today. He sat me in a stool and ordered me a water.

"Drink," He handed me the water.

I stuck my tongue out then sipped the water. 

He stood next to me, arms crossed, "You're drunk as hell. You ignored me for three hours. What is wrong with you Lily? You never act like this."

I shrugged and continued to silently sip my water.

"What did Louis say to you?" Liam quietly asked. 

I set down my water on the bar and looked at him. I gently took off my mask and looked into Liam's brown eyes. His eyes were calm, full of caring.

"I- It's nothing."

I was about to turn away, when Liam swiftly leaned in with his eyes closed. WHAT THE FUCK.

I slapped him across the face, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

He reeled back and held his cheek, "I thought it would make you feel better!"

Well now I'm sober.

"I'm in love with Louis!" I screamed.

The bar went silent. I looked down at my lap. 

"Really? I didn't know that. I'm sorry." Liam did look apologetic.

"You dumbass," I weakly chuckled.

"Then... just tell him how you feel," Liam advised.

"He has a girlfriend. And he says he's 'not good enough for me' whatever that means."

Liam sighed, "Louis' always been hard on himself. But if you really like him, you should go for it."

I nodded, "Thanks Liam. For everything. Except for that kiss. That was gross."

He laughed, "Of course Lils, anytime." 

He helped me stand up and walk back to the hotel. It was the afternoon at this point. We ate an early dinner at the hotel's fancy restaurant. Harry, Zayn, and Niall joined us and told us about their adventurous adventures near the Eiffel tower.

After dinner we lazily walked to our hotel rooms. Harry, Zayn, and Niall bid us goodnight and left. Liam was about to leave to, but I stopped him.

"I'm going to beg Louis to be with me. Tomorrow. I'm going to erase Bertha from the picture and Louis is going to be my boyfriend." I said confidently.

"Good. I'm proud of you Lils. You guys will make a great couple." Liam agreed.

"And if he says no..."

"He won't," Liam cut in, "I truly believes he likes you to Lily. You just need to make him realize this Bertha chick is not the one."

He winked then slipped into his hotel room.

Louis will be mine. I will make it happen.


	7. Even When the Night Changes

I woke up from a fitful sleep. Today was the day. I was going to tell Louis Tomlinson that I loved him. 

I swung myself out of the bed and started getting ready. I did a full face of makeup and threw on a cute pink dress. I nervously straitened my hair. Once I was complete, I hopped to Louis' room, which he was sharing with Zayn.

I knocked on the door and waited. God, I was nervous. Liam was pretty confident Louis returned my feelings, but what if Liam was a lying sack of shit? What if Louis just laughs at me? I shook my head, trying to get all thoughts of doubt to leave my mind. I could do this.

Louis answered the door. He had just woken up. He was wearing gray sweatpants and he had no shirt on. God, he was hot. How would I be able to focus?

"Can I talk to you?" I asked sweetly.

"Uh, yeah, of course," He replied. 

He stepped out of the room. I saw Zayn's quizzical look just before Louis shut the door. 

I took a deep breath and stared into Louis stark blue eyes.

"I love you Louis and I want to be with you-"

"Lily," he sighed, his face filling with sorrow.

"I know you have a girlfriend. But, I want to be with you! I can't get you out of my head. I feel like I can't live without you in my life. So please Louis. And don't tell me any of this 'I'm not good enough for you bullshit.' I want to be with you. Do you want to be with me?"

He looked into my brown orbs. He was dealing with a lot of inner turmoil, as I was. 

"Lily. I'm so sorry..."

My heart dropped.

"I can't. I- I do like you." His kissable lips formed it a small grin, "But, I like Bertha too."

"Why?" I blurted out, throwing my hands.

"She's really mature. Management likes her. They think its good that I'm dating someone that's a little... extreme. It draws in more fans. And... I just can't get over the face that we... forced you to be here. To come with us."

"I don't care!" I started to cry, "You guys changed my life! I am so grateful you kidnapped me. If you hadn't I would still be with my dumbass stepmom! You... you practically saved me!"

Louis shook his head, "It still wouldn't be right. You deserve to live your life Lily. Go to University, get a job, get your heartbroken... fall in love with a guy that deserves you... because you truly are amazing."

He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. He took a step back and turned towards his hotel room door.

"I'm sorry... you don't deserve a bloke like me..." 

And with that he left.

Tears swam down my cheeks, ruining my makeup. My hands turned into fits as I sobbed right in the middle of the hotel lobby. I heard Louis' door open again. I ran back to my room, ashamed.

"Wait!" I heard Zayn call to me. 

I didn't want to talk to him right now. I needed to sulk in my room with the curtains drawn. I crawled back in bed and cried.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The boys had another show that night, I didn't go. I just watched romance movies on the hotel TV and cried. At around 7, Zayn and Harry brought me dinner. Pasta, my favorite. It was tasty but I couldn't fully enjoy it because of my tears.

After France we had shows in Germany (where we had lots of schnitzel), Spain, and Portugal. Finally, we made it to Italy, exactly a week after Mardi Gras. 

Our hotel in Venice was beautiful and extremely expensive. My room was massive, I could have thrown a 50 person party in here! 

I slowly healed from my conversation with Louis. We spoke every now and again, but we weren't as close as we used to be. I made a promise to myself that I would enjoy each city we go to, and not spend the night crying in my hotel room like in France. It worked. We explored each country we traveled to, the six of us against the world. 

Their show was earlier than usual, so there was still an entire night ahead of us. I went back to my hotel room to get ready for our night out on the town. I put on a little black dress and matching heels. I then applied blood red lipstick and eyeliner to my eyes. I curled my hair and was about to head to the boys' room when I heard a knock at the door.

Zayn was there, wearing a fancy button down shirt and slacks. He also had on a sleek black blazer. 

"Hi Zayn," I greeted, "You're looking fancy this evening."

He nervously scratched at the dark beard that was growing in full force on his chin. His hair was a lot longer than it had been previously, making him look more mature and sexy. I liked it.

"Ever since France, after uh... Louis' and yours conversation... I knew you were really sad... so I wanted to make you feel better," He smiled warmly.

I blushed, "I didn't realize."

"Yeah," He chuckled, "We were so busy with travelling I never really got the chance. But, since the concert ended early, I thought today would be a good day."

I nodded, "That's really sweet of you, thanks."

"So," he offered me his arm, "May I show you the city of Venice, Lily Pantii," 

I laughed then intertwined our arms, "I would love that, Zayn Malik."

He escorted me out of the hotel and onto the streets of Venice. It was beautiful, the sun was just starting to set, casting a golden glow on the historic buildings. 

"I'm taking you out to dinner," Zayn explained, "I know the owner of a great restaurant here."

"That sounds lovely," I smiled brightly.

I barely even thought of Louis' bright eyes and warm smile as I traveled through the city with Zayn. I wonder where he was now? Probably out exploring with the other boys. Did Zayn tell them he was taking me out? Would Louis be jealous?

We arrived at an extravagant Italian restaurant. It was named Giovanni's and lots of people were waiting outside for a table. I was about to get in line to go inside the main entrance but Zayn gently pulled on my arm. 

"This way, we can go in through the back." He explained.

I followed him around the building and he held open the back door for me. I walked into the kitchen. Dozens of chefs were bustling around, making exquisite food. I fought the urge to rip off one of their chef's hats to see if I would find a small mouse inside. 

A large friendly man in a chef's outfit made his way over to us.

"Zayn!" He spoke with a thick Italian accent,"It's great to see you."

They hugged.

"Giovanni," Zayn said, sliding a hand around my waist, "This is Lily."

I shook his hand, "It's nice to meet you. Thanks for letting us enter through the back so we didn't have to wait for a table."

"Of course," his voice boomed over the loud kitchen, "Anything for my friend's girlfriend."

"Oh, we're not-" Zayn and I cut in at the same time.

We looked at each other and laughed awkwardly.

"We're not dating. She's just a good friend." Zayn explained.

"Ah of course," Giovanni said with a wink, "Just friends."

Giovanni then excused himself to go back to cooking. We were led out of the kitchen by a waitress, who sat us at a high top table next to a window. 

We both watched the night sky for a while, giggling about how beautiful the city was. Zayn ordered us both a glass of wine, then he asked for spaghetti as his main course. I ordered mushroom ravioli. 

"Zayn," I spoke, when our wine came.

"What is it?"He asked, concerned.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do after tour."

He nodded, "I can get that. We only have a month left. It's hard to think about what comes next."

Then, the food came, cutting off our conversation. We dug in. The food was heavenly. I'd have to make sure I tell Giovanni how amazing the ravioli is. 

We ate all of our food, even sharing a bit with each other. Once we were done, Zayn spoke again.

"So uh, as you were saying about after tour?"

"Oh yeah," I wiped my mouth, "I don't know... Louis said something about how he's guilty that I won't get to like... go to college and stuff since I'm with you guys. I never really thought about it but maybe that is something I want to do. Go to college, maybe become a fashion designer. Have models wear my clothes on runways."

Zayn smiled at me, "That sounds great. And that's totally possible Lily. Don't think we'll hold you back from pursuing your dreams." 

I grinned and took a sip of my wine. Then, Zayn cleared his throat.

"I- I need to tell you something. About... about what I'm gonna do... after tour..."

My eyebrows lifted, but before he could explain a waitress came by asking if we wanted dessert. Zayn ordered us both chocolate cake. 

"I'll tell you later," Zayn said, as the waitress hurried back with delicious chocolate cake.

We gobbled it up, Zayn paid the bill, then we went to the kitchen. After thanking Giovanni, we strutted back onto the streets of Venice.

"What were you going to tell me?" I asked, rubbing my arms.

The air had turned much colder since the sun had set. Zayn nonchalantly shucked his blazer off and placed it on my shoulders without a word. 

"I'll tell you later, I want to do something first before it's too late."

He interlocked his arm with mine again and set off. We hurriedly walked through Venice, making our way towards the Canale Grand river.

Zayn led me down an alley and up to a small stand where you could go for a gondola ride. He pulled out his wallet and gave the clerk some money. She called over to her coworker, who started to get a boat ready.

"Shall we?" Zayn smiled down at me.

We walked up to the river, where the worker was sitting at the back of a maroon gondola with an oar in hand. Zayn helped me carefully step down in the boat. I cuddled myself into his blazer as I slid over to make room. He settled down next to me then gave the worker a thumbs up. The boat started gently moving. 

We were quiet for a while, taking in the ambiance of Venice. I was looking over the edge, watching the river's water smoothly lap against the side of the gondola. I heard Zayn clear his throat.

"So... as I was saying,"

I looked over at him. He looked extremely nervous.

Was he about to ask me out? This was very romantic. Would I accept? I mean he did take me on a very romantic date today. Not many guys will take you to a fancy Italian restaurant and a romantic gondola ride. Though it didn't work out with Niall and I, it might work out with Zayn. He is such a gentleman and he liked my idea of going to college. Maybe I could move out of the house with him, closer to a university so I could take classes and we'd have some privacy away from the boys. How would Louis feel about it? He felt wrong about dating me cause I was kidnapped but would he be fine with one of his band mates dating me I mean they participated in the kidnapping-

"I'm going to leave One Direction." Zayn finally said.

"WHAT" I blurted out.

I was shocked. That came out of no where.

Zayn folded his hands together and looked at me, pure sorrow in his eyes, "I can't take it anymore. I- I want to live my own life. I want some freedom. I love the guys and I love my fans but... I can't take it. It's suffocating. I just, I need to live life on my own for a while."

I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Hey, Hey, It's OK. I'm sure the boys will understand. You know once this tour is over you can all take some time-"

"No Lily..." He was in obvious pain, "I'm leaving now."

"NOW?!"

"I don't think I can finish this tour. I won't be the same. Each day I'd just be counting down until I'm free."

"But one direction won't be the same without you!" I tugged on his arm, "Zayn please."

He pulled his arm away from my grasp, "I just... can't"

I looked down, hugging myself. Suddenly the pretty city of Venice didn't look as mesmerizing. 

"Do the other boys know?" I asked softly.

He shook his head, "I haven't told them yet."

I sighed. I didn't even realize we had turned around and were heading back to the gondola stand until I heard the clerk shout to us from the street if we had fun. No. No we didn't.

The boat slowly came to a stop. Zayn helped me awkwardly crawl back onto land. We thanked the workers then silently walked back to our hotel. 

Zayn walked me to my hotel room, then looked down at me. I sighed, while looking deep into his brown eyes. 

"I'll tell them, tomorrow." He said simply, "I'm sorry I ruined your night, I just had to get that off my chest."

"No, it's-it's fine Zayn. Thank you for telling me. And- And thanks for everything. I- I" I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, then looked back at him.

"Thank you for trusting me." I said.

And with that, I turned around and went back to my hotel room. I didn't realize until I had flopped onto the bed that he never asked for his blazer back.


	8. Gotta Go My Own Way

I was woken up by a knock on my hotel room door. I slid out of bed and lazily strolled to the door, yawning. Niall was there, concern evident on his face.

"Zayn called for a band meeting. He said you should be there too." Niall explained.

I nodded, threw on a bathrobe, and followed Niall into Zayn's room. 6 chairs were arranged in a circle in front of the bed. Zayn was standing up, wringing his hands. I took a chair beside Harry, who smiled at me sleepily.

Niall plopped down, "OK mate, what did you need to tell us."

Zayn breathed slowly, looking at each of us for a long period of time.

"I'm sorry..." He finally said, "But I'm leaving One Direction."

No one spoke for a while. Everyone was too shocked to say something.

"What?" Liam finally spoke.

"Wait, why?" exclaimed Louis.

"I thought you were having fun!" Harry pleaded, "I thought we all were!"

"I- I was," Zayn answered, "For a while. But... I can't you guys. I can't go on. I have to leave."

He turned around and looked longingly at the door. He shook his head and furrowed his brow.

"But at least for now. I gotta go my own way." He stated simply.

"What about us?!" Niall stood up, "What about everything we've been through!"

"What about trust!" Zayn shouted.

"You know we never wanted to hurt you."

"What about me?!" Zayn replied. He threw his hands up.

"What are we supposed to do!" Liam said calmly.

"I gotta leave but I'll miss you." Zayn walked to the closet and grabbed his suitcase.

"I've got to move on and be who I am," He explained while unzipping his suitcase.

"Why do you have to go?" Niall sobbed.

"I just don't belong here," Zayn threw his shit into the suitcase, "I hope you understand."

"I'm trying to understand." Louis threw his head into his hands.

"We might find a place in this world someday. But at least for now." Zayn went into the bathroom and gathered his things.

"I want you to stay!" Harry shouted.

"I gotta go my own way!" He hollered from the bathroom.

He walked out of the bathroom and shoved his toiletries in the bag, "I've got to move on and be who I am."

"What about us?" Liam screamed.

"I just don't belong here," Zayn zipped up his suitcase and chucked it on the floor, "I hope you understand."

"I'm trying to understand," Niall spoke softly.

Zayn looked over sadly at Niall, "We might find a place in this world someday." 

"But at least for now," Zayn continued, rolling his suitcase behind him, "I gotta go my own way."

He walked out of the hotel room.

I did a quick scan of the remaining boys. They were in varying levels of disarray. Niall was crying, utter dispair was evident on his face. Liam looked mad almost, with his arms crossed and his head down. Harry looked... guilty? He had a hand covering his gaping mouth. His eyes were filled with sadness. 

And Louis.

He looked like he didn't know what to do with himself. He had a hand shoved into his messy brown hair. He looked up at me.

"Did you know?" He asked softly.

I nodded, "He told me yesterday."

"What are we gonna do." Liam threw his hands up.

"We'll have to stop the tour." Niall sniffed.

"No." Louis said confidently. "We have to keep going. For the fans."

"But who will do Zayn's parts? How will we... How will we do anything?" Niall asked.

I quietly got up and left. I hurried down the hall. I flew up to the elevator and pressed the down button. I had to catch Zayn before he left. 

The elevator finally came. I sprinted inside then tapped my foot impatiently until the doors closed. I was brought down 20 floors until the doors finally opened up to the lobby. I ran out and scanned the lobby. He was no where to be found. 

Finally, I spotted Zayn through the glass doors. He was about to enter an Uber.

"Zayn!" I yelled.

I bolted. My bunny slippers were not the shoes to run in. I slammed the doors open and the cool Italian air flushed against me. Damn, it was cold.

"Zayn," I said, out of breath.

He turned around and gave me a sad smile, "Lily."

I ran up to him, panting, "I just- I just wanted to say goodbye."

He shoved his backpack into the car seat then turned back to me.

"Where will you go?" I asked.

"Home." He stated simply, "I'm gonna go home and think. I wish you luck Lily. In whatever you decide to do. Don't forget about me when you're a famous fashion designer." He winked

I laughed. Then I threw my arms around him. He chuckled and hugged me back. I was going to miss him. My friend. 

I released him quickly, "Goodbye Zayn, good luck."

He smiled, "Bye Lily."

I watched as he crawled into the Uber. I waved as the black car pulled away, no doubt heading towards the Venice airport.

I turned and walked into the hotel. I would miss my friend. But right now, I had to take care of the four boys that were currently falling apart in a hotel room. 

I swiftly made my way back to Zayn's room and shut the door. 

"Ok, listen up." I spoke, crossing my arms.

The boys sat down in the chairs that were still placed in a circle. They stared at me, I had their full attention.

"In a few hours, we are going to fly to Poland. You will do your concert. It will be tough, but you will get through it, for your fans. Then we will fly to Norway, then Sweden, and then every other stop until we are done with this tour. You owe it to all of your supporters to complete this."

"But what about Zayn's parts in our songs?" Harry asked.

"You split them up between yourselves. We'll talk about it on our flight tonight." I stated.

They nodded.

"Come on lads," Liam said, conviction in his voice, "Let's start packing."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The flight to Poland was only about two hours. The entire time we discussed who would sing each of Zayn's parts. We just got finished as the plane set down in Warsaw. 

From the airport, we went straight to the venue. The boys quickly got ready for sound check. I decided to help organize their dressing room while I waited for them to finish. They would have about two hours to chill before the concert started.

I placed a bunch of snacks and drinks on the counter. I chose their outfits and hung them up on a concert rack. I was sorting through their bags, when someone entered the room.

I turned to find Louis staring at me. He gave me a small smile, then headed to the beige couch and plopped down. I zipped up Niall's bag and went to join him. 

I settled down next to him and looked into his sea blue eyes. Those eyes used to be filled with joy... happiness... life. Now they were just dripping with concern and sadness. I gave him a sad smile.

"I'm proud of you guys. I was shocked when Zayn told me yesterday. It's all happening so fast." I spoke.

He nodded, "I truly had no idea... that he was so sad. I just... I really don't understand why he did it?"

"He said he was suffocating. That he wanted to be free. He felt bad about not finishing the tour but he said it wouldn't be the same if he did, cause he'd feel so lifeless."

Louis sighed, "Thank you... for everything. Without you I don't think we ever would have gotten our asses our of Venice," he chuckled lightly.

I laughed, "That's probably true. But I'm always here for you guys... and I always will be."

I was studying Louis' handsome face that was filled with thoughtfulness and sorrow. I opened my mouth to say something when the door banged open.

"LOU-BEAR."

God fucking dammit.

Louis broke his gaze and sat up to greet his girlfriend. Bertha wrapped her gigantic muscular arms around him. I never noticed, but she was about 5 inches taller than Louis. Her shoulders were hella broad and pale white. She looked like she dead lifted trucks in her spare time. Today, she had on navy blue acrylics. They were still long as hell.

"I heard Zaney left!" She cried.

"Yeah," Louis said softly, "He left this morning."

"What are y'all gonna do!" She exclaimed, placing a hand on the back of Louis' head and pulling him into her chest.

"They're splitting up who's singing Zayn's parts." I explained.

"Well that's just dandy. It's still so sad he left though." She frowned, "The band won't be the same without him."

I nodded in agreement. I excused myself and walked out of the dressing room to give them privacy.

This next month would be extremely weird. But we'd make it through. I believe in the boys, they'll be able to pull through this and still make this tour amazing for their fans. 

I heard Harry calling my name from afar. I headed down the hallway to prepare to witness One Direction's first concert as a four person band.


	9. Rekindling a Friendship

"Hey, have you heard Harry Styles' new album? It's so good!" the girl beside me squealed.

I smiled over at her as I grabbed my schoolbag to pack up. I was finally done with school for this weekend, thank god. I didn't have any plans for the weekend yet. Maybe I could ask my friends to go clubbing with me tonight. Or we could try out that new French restaurant that opened up down the block.

"Yeah I have," Yadira, my only friend in this class, answered. She had a heavy Italian accent.

Yadira turned to me, her brown eyes shining, "Have you heard it yet Lily?"

I shook my head, "Not yet."

"Really?" The girl who i never bothered to learn her name asked, "Weren't you like... owned by him?"

"We were friends yeah. I was with all of One Direction." I chuckled lightly.

"Oh right, that must've been so cool," she spoke, standing up and grabbing her Hydroflask.

"It was," I said fondly, swinging the bag Louis got me all those years ago onto my back.

It would've been four years ago. How the time flies. Once One Direction finished their last month of tour, without Zayn, I enrolled in classes at the London School of Fashion. I moved out of the house and into an apartment, to give the boys more space and to get the true college experience. It wasn't long after that when the boys decided to go their separate ways and pursue their own careers.

It was... heartbreaking. They invited me over to their house to tell me in person. It was shocking, but I was also happy for them. Since Zayn left to have some musical freedom, they deserved to too.

I hadn't spoken to any of them since that day. I engrossed myself with my studies, trying to become the best fashion student London has ever witnessed.

I tried to stay up-to-date on what the boys were up to. Louis and Harry had released solo albums, that were both fantastic. Niall and Liam, as far as I heard were in the middle of writing their own. Zayn's solo debut came out barely a year after he left the band. It was quite... raunchy.

Apparently Harry had just released his second album. I made a mental note to listen to it as soon as I could.

"You OK there Lily?" Yadira asked.

I met Yadira in my first year here. We had math together. She told me she was from Italy. I asked her if she had heard of a place called Giovanni's. Apparently, Giovanni was her dad.

"Yeah I'm fine," I answered, "I just didn't realize how long it had been since I talked to Harry. Or any of them for that matter."

I lead her out of the classroom and into the hallways of our school. We meandered our way back to our London flats.

"Harry's album is good. I liked it better than the last."

"Yeah, I'll listen to it as soon as I get home."

She bid farewell when we got to her street. I took out my air pods and searched for Harry's new album. It was called Fine Line. I listened to it as I walked home.

It was really beautiful. At first I thought the song Watermelon Sugar was about me since my favorite fruit is Watermelon. After listening halfway through the song I realized it was about something completely different.

As soon as I got back to my flat, I locked the door, gently laid my backpack down, then chucked myself onto the bed. I listened to the rest of the album.

I really wanted to text Harry. To tell him how much I enjoyed his album. Would it be weird to randomly text him after four years? Probably.

But still, I sat up and pulled out my phone. I had to scroll down a long ways to find out text conversation. It mainly consisted of arguments over what we would get for dinner when we were on tour. God, I missed tour.

I quickly typed out a response about how I loved the album and hoped he was doing good. I sent the text before I could psyche myself out and delete it.

To get my mind off of him, I snatched my guitar. I had gotten pretty good at playing over the years.

I was only mindlessly strumming for a few minutes when I heard my phone ding. I snatched it and read the message. It was an email from Forever 21.

I almost chucked my phone across the room when it dinged again. It was Harry!

I'm doing amazing. Thanks for listening to the album. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hey, I'm in London for a few days. Wanna meet for dinner?

I smiled and accepted his offer. We decided to try the new restaurant that was just down the block from me tomorrow night.

Yay, I had weekend plans. With Harry Styles no less.

I decided to text Yadira then to ask if she wanted to go to a bar tonight. When she agreed, I set aside my guitar and started getting ready for my weekend.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why was I nervous to see Harry? Sure, it had been a long time. But we lived together for like half a year. We went on tour together for Christ's sake. I shouldn't be this tense.

I chose to wear a dark red long sleeve dress that hugged my figure. I put on red lipstick to match. I was just inserting black studs into my ears when I heard a knock on the door.

Harry looked just as I had remembered. He had cut his hair, but it was still curly and rugged. His tall figure leaned nonchalantly against the side of the door frame. His green eyes brightened when he saw me.

"Lily," His British accent sounded smooth and silky to my ears, "How have you been?"

He opened his arms for a hug. I gladly accepted. God, it felt good to see him again.

"I've been great," I answered, pulling back, "How are you?"

"I've been amazing," He grinned.

His eyes wandered to my flat.

"Oh, you can come in, I was just finishing getting ready." I spoke.

I led him inside my college flat. It was a lot bigger from my stepmum's flat, that thing was the size of a postage stamp. The living room and kitchen were combined into one massive room, leading into a hallway where my bedroom and bathroom was. It wasn't as extravagant as the boys' old mansion, but I still liked it. It was home.

Harry looked around as I inserted my other earring. I heard him chuckle and I turned around. He was smiling down at the guitar that I had discarded on the old couch.

"You still play this thing?" He chuckled, holding it up and strumming it softly.

"I love that thing. It's gotten me through many breakups." I laughed cheerfully.

"You write?" Harry asked.

I blushed, "Kind of. It's not good though."

"Can i see?" He questioned.

"Uh-" I stammered, feeling the heat rise to my face. I looked away from him, "Maybe some other time."

He quickly set down the guitar and stood up, "Of course, sorry I overstepped. I know how personal songs can be."

I started humming Cherry. He flicked me in the arm and I started laughing.

When I met his gaze. There was so much warmth in his face, his eyes were filled with happiness.

"I'm glad you're doing good Harry," I spoke honestly.

He smiled. I quickly turned away before that smiled overcame my thoughts. I snagged my purse from the coffee table and offered him my arm.

"Shall we?" I said with a horrible British accent.

He laughed and interlocked his arm with mine. I led him down the stairs of my apartment building and out onto the London streets. The sun was beginning to set. It was always so beautiful in this city. This beat my hometown in Kentucky by a landslide.

I glanced over at Harry and noticed he was wearing sunglasses. I gave him an angry look.

He laughed, "I can't be going around having people recognize me, or else we'd never make it to the restaurant."

"You look like a douche."

"The outside matches the inside," He laughed lightly.

"That's not true," I firmly stated.

He shrugged, "It depends on who you ask."

I tugged at our interlocked arms, "Well I lived with you for a whole year, so I would say my opinion holds more weight than these assholes who've never met you. And I say you are one of the best men out there Harry Styles."

He chuckled and looked down at me. The sun's fading light hit his douche sunglasses just right, so I could barely make out his green eyes.

"Thanks Lily. That does mean a lot."

I smiled at him. By then, we had strolled up to the restaurant. The cheerful hostess led us to a table in the back.

This restaurant was more romantic than I thought it's be. Maybe we should have picked an Irish pub or something. The table the hostess led us to had a deep red tablecloth on it, almost matching my dress. A single candle was in the center with two plush chairs on either side.

Harry pulled out a chair for me then walked around to the other side of the table. What a gentleman. I sat down and started looking at the menu.

We ordered our wine and food and chatted happily about our lives for the past four years. I told him all about fashion school and how much I was loving it. He explained the process of writing his album and how it was to film Dunkirk.

The food was delicious. It was great to spend time with him. I suggested we get a dessert to share, so we ordered some creme brulee.

The waitress brought the bill. I was about to pull out my wallet when Harry hurriedly handed his card to her.

"Harry!" I frowned, "I'm not some teenager anymore, I can pay for myself."

"I am a gentleman," He placed a hand dramatically on his heart, "I would never make a lady pay for the date."

I scoffed as the waitress took his card and walked away.

The waitress brought his card back and we left the restaurant. Harry turned towards the left to walk back down the street towards my house, but I placed a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Wait, I wanted to go to the record store before it closes. You don't have to go with me if you don't want to." I said.

"Nonsense," He smiled, "I would love to."

I led him across the street and into a small, reclusive shopping district. We strolled through London, enjoying the cool night breeze. Finally, we made our way into my favorite record store.

"30 minutes until closing," the worker said as we arrived.

The worker looked up from her magazine and made eye contact with Harry.

"Holy shit!" she exclaimed, "You're Harry Styles."

"Hey, how are you." He answered.

"We got your shipment in today, for you new album. You can see them if you want."

He laughed, "Sure, why not."

The worker disappeared into the stock room. She came out carefully holding one of Harry's records.

"We had them on display but they sold out really quickly, I haven't had time to restock yet." She explained, handing the vinyl to Harry.

I peered over Harry's shoulders as he examined it.

"It must be crazy. To hold the thing you've been working on for a year," I spoke.

"You have no idea." He answered.

He set the record down on the table in front of us. I pulled out my wallet.

"I'll buy this," I said, motioning to the vinyl.

"Oh don't worry," the worker waved her hand, "I'm not gonna make Harry's girlfriend pay for his album!"

I opened my mouth to explain we weren't dating but Harry started speaking first.

"How dare you! Now I'm not gonna make more money." He frowned and crossed his arms dramatically.

The worker and I laughed as she slipped the record into a bag.

"Did you need anything else?" She asked.

"Just one more thing," I turned and walked through the aisles, looking for the vinyl I wanted.

Finally I found it. I picked up Zayn's album, Mind of Mine, and headed back to the counter.

"Oi, don't play favorites," Harry whined, trying to keep a straight face.

"I just bought your album you bloke," I softly elbowed him in the chest. He snickered.

I handed it to the worker and she slid it into the bag. She handed me the bag and smiled.

"Have a nice night you guys, thanks for coming!"

We thanked her and headed out the door. We were walking back towards my apartment when I asked Harry a question that had been in the back of my mind for a while.

"Why didn't you correct her?" I asked.

"Correct her about what?" He answered.

"She said I was your girlfriend. And you went along with it."

He shrugged then smirked at me, "What, have a problem that a random store worker thinks we're a thing. Would you never wanna be caught dead with me? Am I too lousy for you?" He teased.

"Oh fuck off," I pushed him, "I just assumed you had a girlfriend."

"Nah, not currently." He answered.

oh.

"Uh, you said you were back in London for a few days? Where are you going next?"

"Back to LA. I'm probably gonna stay there for a little while. Maybe try and pick up surfing again," He cringed, "It didn't go well last time. The waves were way too rough. I had bruises for weeks."

I laughed, "When do you leave?"

He paused for a second, "I don't know yet. Haven't thought that far."

"Well you should enjoy yourself for a while. Take some time for yourself before you have to go on tour." I said.

We were at the road before the French restaurant. Suddenly he stopped.

"Wanna come back to my place?" He asked.

"Sure!" I answered, "how far away is your house?"

"A couple blocks,"

"I'd love to see Harry Styles' extravagant mansion. I'm sure it has a massive pool and a chocolate fountain and beautiful maids-"

"Oh shut up," He shoved his shoulder against mine.

I followed him through the London. We were in the outskirts of the city now. The houses got more large and expensive. Obviously he would live back here.

Finally we came upon a brick driveway that led to a grand estate. There was a black gate blocking our entrance.

"Welcome to my house," He said, sticking his key into the gate. He turned the key and went to open the door.

It wouldn't budge.

He tried the key again, a faint smile on his lips.

The gate didn't move.

His smile dropped.

"Harry," I laughed, "Are you sure this is your house?"

"Shut up," He said, trying to yank the gate open.

The night had turned very cold all of a sudden. A cold draft of air wafted towards me, making me wrap my arms around myself tightly.

He tried a few times more, but the gate wouldn't open. He eventually gave up, letting his head hand in despair.

His head suddenly swiveled to me, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"We're gonna have to jump the gate." He said.

"No the hell we're not." I replied bluntly.

"Listen, it's too long of a walk back to your place. You're cold, you're gonna freeze before I can call my security to unlock it. It's not the high, I promise. I'll help you."

"You act like you've done this before." I rolled my eyes.

"This gate is wonky ok, it gets stuck sometimes." He begged, "It'll be fine, I promise."

He held out a hand for me. His gave me puppy dog eyes.

I shrugged, "Fine."

I took his hand. He helped me step up onto the gate. I reached up to grab the top. I could feel my dress rise up on my legs. The cool air whipped at the tops of my thighs. Hopefully my full ass wasn't exposed.

Harry wrapped his strong arms around my legs lifting me up. I yelped, but was able to throw a leg across the gate and slowly climb down.

I brushed off my dress and fixed my hair as Harry gracefully climbed over the gate. He plopped down next to me. He grabbed my waist to balance himself.

"I feel like we're breaking and entering." I glared at him.

"I promise this is my house."

"I don't know if I believe you."

He smirked at me and led me into his "house", his hand still tight around my waist.

He unlocked the front door, surprisingly, and held it open as I wandered inside. I was sad that he took his arm from my waist, but I was immediately distracted.

The home was magnificent. There were lots of room in front of the main entrance. At the center of it was a grand staircase made of black velvet.

"God Harry," I said, "This house is insane."

"Yeah" He ran a hand through his hair sheepishly, "It's almost a little too much. I kinda prefer my LA house."

He waved for me to follow him to the right of the staircase, where the living room was. A massive flatscreen was mounted on the pure white wall. A plush black couch was on the other side of the room. I could see a small hallway, which seemed to open up into a vast stainless steel kitchen.

I looked to my left to see Harry walk over to a fully stocked bar. I sauntered over and took a seat at one of the black stools that were sitting against the bar.

"Oi bartender," I snapped, "Get me a bourbon."

Harry stuck his tongue out at me, but obliged. He made us both drinks then slid one across the bar to me. He rested his arms against bar and leaned over, sipping his drink. Our faces were really close like this. I nonchalantly leaned closer to him.

He smirked. His green eyes kept flicking between my eyes and my lips. I bit my lip.

I finished my drink then set the glass down. I smiled sweetly at him. He knocked the rest of his drink back quickly, then grabbed my glass and set it to the side. 

"You know Harry," I spoke. He turned his attention back to me. "I feel we didn't get that much alone time... when we were living together."

"Yeah?" He answered, fully staring at my lips.

"Yeah." I breathed.

I bounced off the stool. I made sure to walk slowly, letting him take in my body while I was turned away from him. I slid a hand across the bar as I strolled up to him. 

"I think we should fix that." I grinned.

I grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him against me. His lips collided with mine in a passionate kiss. I snaked my arms around his neck, tugging at his hair. His hands roamed my waist, my butt, my thighs. Suddenly, he gripped my thighs and lifted me up. A surprised noise escaped my mouth as he carried me over to the couch. 

He gently laid me down on the couch. He broke our kiss so he could look at my entire body. 

"Oh," I laughed, "Harry the gentleman that made me hop over the fence to get into his house isn't even gonna fuck me in his bedroom?"

Harry rolled his eyes. He bent down to pick me up again. Except this time, he threw me over his shoulder. 

I yelped in surprise. I slammed on his back playfully as he carried me back into the main room. My dress had ridden up so far my butt was exposed. But I guess he would be seeing all of me soon. 

"Dammit Harry, you know I hate heights," I cried as he carefully climbed the main staircase. 

We finally arrived at his bedroom. It was massive, of course, but I didn't have time to take it in before I was being laid onto his bed.


	10. A Quick Trip to Georgia

I've been seeing Harry for two months now. I guess we're technically dating now? He never really asked me to go out with him. But I've been spending almost everyday with him. 

When I got out of class today, Harry was waiting for me, like usual. Yadira and I walked up to him.

"Hey Harry," Yadira waved, her Italian accent as strong as ever, "I was just telling Lily that she should make you take her to LA soon. Hint Hint."

He laughed, "In due time. Once summer break happens, I'll steal her away for months. But right now, she needs to focus on school."

I frowned. He just smiled back at me. Yadira said goodbye and walked off to find her other friends. I slipped my hand into Harry's and allowed him to walk me out of school.

Yeah, I guess we are dating. 

We stopped at the major intersection that led to my flat, if we turned left, or his mansion, if we turned right. Harry looked at me.

"It's your choice." He said, smiling.

I took a deep breath, "Let's go to my place. I- I wanna show you the songs I wrote." 

"Are you sure?" He asked, "I would love to hear them, but only if you're comfortable sharing them."

I nodded, "I want to... I mean they're not good." I chuckled.

"I'm sure they're great." He reassured. 

He started walking, taking the road on our left. We walked in comfortable silence, listening to the birds chirping on the sunny London day. 

We finally reached my flat. I unlocked the door and let Harry in. He sat on the couch and waited as I grabbed my guitar and my notebook.

I sat down next to him. I opened the notebook and balanced it on my lap. Then I grabbed the guitar, took a deep breath, and started strumming.

The song I played was one that was dear to my heart. I also thought it was the best song I had written. 

Candy apples are whatever

But if you gave one to me

I'd love you forever

Cause you're so clever

We shared only one kiss

And since then, I miss

The taste of your lips

Are bliss

I've tried to forget

But I can't, brunette

Because you have my heart

Forever

I didn't realize I started crying until I played the last chord of my song. Harry wiped away the tears that had fallen onto my cheeks. I looked up at him. He looked at me with... sadness.

"Thank you, for sharing that." He spoke.

I nodded, and grabbed a tissue from the coffee table.

I opened my mouth to say something, when Harry's phone rang. Harry picked up the phone quickly and answered.

"Louis?" Harry said.

Louis?? 

"No it's fine mate, anytime. Is something wrong?" Harry said.

It sucked only hearing one part of the conversation. Harry looked concerned. He got up and paced around, listening to Louis intensely. 

"Of course, when do you want to meet?" Harry spoke again after a long pause.

"Tonight? Of course. Uh... Lily's here, do you want her to come to?" Harry said.

Another long pause. 

"7 pm. Lucky's. You got it, we'll see you then."

Harry hung up and put his phone on the coffee table.

"Louis' having dinner with us tonight. He seems really tense about something." Harry explained.

"I'm surprised he called." I said, "I'm glad he did but... I mean I haven't talked to him in four years."

"Same" He chuckled nervously, "He said he was fine but he didn't sound like it."

I got up and walked to my bedroom to start getting ready.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We walked into the Irish pub at 7 pm sharp. My eyes scanned the room and immediately found Louis. He was sitting hunched over at a booth, hands clenched together on the table. His hair was messy, yet still beautiful. His hair looked longer and he looked more muscular. I wonder if he was still going on his morning runs.

Harry and I hurried over and slid into the booth across from him.

"Louis," Harry said, grasping his ex band mate's hand, "What's wrong mate."

Louis took a deep breath and looked up. His eyes were just as stark blue as I remembered them. Eyes that could break hearts and start wars. The eyes that I fell in love with. 

He studied me, like I studied him. A lot had changed in four years, but I could still see the man I knew. Caring, warm, funny. Someone you could tell your secrets to and confide in. I was glad to see that man still existed, even though so much time had passed.

"What wrong Louis," I finally stated, looking deep into his blue eyes.

He hesitated, his eyebrows furrowed on his face.

Finally, he spoke, "Bertha proposed to me."

I was taken aback. He was still with that bitch? After all these years?

"And... you said no?" Harry questioned.

Louis sighed, "I think she's cheating on me."

I gasped. That ugly bitch has the audacity to cheat on someone as gorgeous and nice as Louis? 

"Then why didn't you break up with her?" Harry asked calmly.

"I don't have any proof. It's a gut feeling. I feel like I should marry her though. It's just that that's getting in the way."

I nodded understandably. Suddenly, I got a great idea.

"Hey, do you guy's know couple's court? With the Cutler's"

They both shook their head. 

"They find out if people are cheating or not. You can go on and they'll tell you if she's cheating. And if she is... you can get married."

I didn't really know if I wanted the last part. But for Louis, I would do anything. I would let him be happy. If it was truly what he wants. 

"Yeah... maybe you could do that." Harry said supportively.

Louis stayed silent. We all ordered fish and chips. Halfway through the meal, Harry excused himself and went to the bathroom. Once he left, Louis stopped eating and looked at me.

"I... I'm happy you two are together." He spoke. He looked anything but happy but whatever.

"Thanks. I'm kind of surprised you are still with Bertha to be honest," I said, "You too are so different. But if she makes you happy..."

"Yeah," He said, like he was lying, "I just hope she isn't cheating."

"It's really good to see you Louis," I spoke up, "I'm sorry it's been so long since we've seen each other. I listened to your album. It was really good."

"Thanks," He smiled for the first time since I saw him in four years, "It's been great to see you. And thanks for suggesting Couple's Court. We'll have to try it out."

Harry walked back to the table then. We finished up our meal. Harry paid for the bill, despite Louis' protesting.

We all walked outside once Harry got his card back. We were about to say bye when Louis spoke.

"I want you guys to come with us. To Couple's Court. I... I need some friends there."

"Of course," I answered immediately, "Whatever you need Louis."

"Thanks guys, it was great seeing you."

"Bye Louis," Harry called after him.

Harry and I meandered back to my flat. We curled up on the couch, preparing to watch Avengers: Endgame for the 10th time, when Harry got a text.

It was from Louis.

Saturday. 1:00 pm. Atlanta, Georgia. I'm compiling evidence. See you there.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is the case of Tomlinson v. Pickles. Miss Pickles has been dating Mr. Tomlinson for four years now. She has proposed to Tomlinson, just this past week. But Mr. Tomlinson said no, because he believes Miss Pickles is cheating!"

The audience gasped from Mrs. Cutler's opening speech. Harry and I were standing in the waiting room of Couple's Court, watching the court session from a television. Louis looked great in his suit, though he looked tense. Bertha looked ugly, like always. The stand was way too small for her hulk body. She was wearing a bright orange ballgown and bright green heels. Her mullet was still a puke green color, but now she had orange horizontal stripes tarnishing it. 

"Now Mr Tomlinson," Mr Cutler asked, "Why do you think your girlfriend is cheating?"

"Sir, there has been briefs left on the bedroom floor of our flat."

"And you know those are not your underwear?" Mrs. Cutler laughed.

"I do not wear briefs ma'am," He stated, "I wear boxers."

Bertha rolled her eyes next to him, "Those were your underwear! You wear briefs sometimes."

"I do NOT wear briefs. Do I look gay to you? I wear boxers." He snapped.

"What other evidence do you have?" Mr. Cutler asked. 

"I also found other men texting her phone." Louis stated.

"You looked through her phone?" Mrs. Cutler said. 

"No Ma'am." Louis said, "The notification popped up on her phone while it was on the bed. Some man was texting her asking to see her that night."

The audience gasped and oo'd. 

"What do you have to say to that Ms. Pickles?" Mrs. Cutler asked.

"That was my nephew! I promised I would see him that week cause he was in town. That night was the only day he had time to see me! But I knew Louis would get all weird about it, so I stayed." Bertha's horrific Southern accent rang through the court.

"You never told me your nephew was in town!" Louis yelled.

"I didn't think it was relevant," Bertha said back.

"Wait, hold on," Mr Cutler said, "You didn't think telling him that your family was in town was relevant?"

Bertha shrugged, "He doesn't need to know absolutely everything about me. My nephew wasn't here for that long."

"Mr. Tomlinson," Mrs. Cutler said, "You've had to deal with this woman for four years."

Louis nodded solemnly.

"And you love her," Mrs. Cutler continued.

He paused for a second, then nodded.

"Well, we conducted a lie detector test on Ms. Pickles to see if she is telling the truth about not cheating on Mr. Tomlinson." Mr. Cutler said.

Harry slipped his hand into mine. I squeezed it hard. I don't know what I wanted to result from this. Louis looked sad and destroyed. I don't know if finding out Bertha isn't cheating would help that at all. Would he feel worse if she was cheating?

"We asked Ms. Pickles if she had any sexual relations with any other man while in a relationship with Mr. Tomlinson" Mr. Cutler started.

"Ms. Pickles said no." Mrs. Cutler continued.

"We found... that Ms. Pickles... is being truthful." Mr. Cutler finished.

Harry let out a breath. I squeezed his hand again. Louis looked revealed, slightly.

"I told you! I told you! I told you! I told you!" Bertha started shouting.

She did her annoying high pitched laugh, "You thought I cheated but I didn't! I told you! I told you! I told you! I told you!"

The audience started laughing awkwardly. I cringed.

"Now will you marry me!?" She shouted. Goddamn she was loud.

Louis hesitated for a second, "Yes." He spoke softly.

She yelled aloud. Then she bounded over to Louis and hugged him tightly. God, it looked like she would squeeze him so hard he'd pop.

"God, I'm relieved." Harry said.

I was still intensely staring at the TV. Louis was looking directly into the camera, as if he was staring into my soul. Does he really want to get married to this loud ass bitch? 

"Hey, is something wrong?" Harry asked, looking at me concerned.

I realized I was gaping at the TV. I looked distraught, cause I was. 

"No uh..." I said finally, "I'm fine..."

"Come on," Harry tugged on my hand lightly, "Let's go meet the happy couple."

Happy couple- yeah right. 

We walked into the hallway where Bertha and Louis were standing, talking quietly. Well, Louis was talking quietly, Bertha was loud as fuck like always.

"Hey guys," Harry said, "Congrats on the engagement."

Louis smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, "Thanks mate."

He had a ring on his ring finger now. It was a simple silver band. The exact color of the ring he gave me, four years ago. I still wore it. It reminded me of the good days, when I had 5 best friends that I could count on for anything. 

Louis looked at me. I tried to smile but failed. Bertha started talking to Harry, loudly. 

Before I could think about it too much, I grabbed Louis' arm and pulled him close to me. 

I whispered in his ear, "I remember everything. I will never forget that kiss." 

I quickly pulled away and said out loud, "Congrats on the engagement. Can't wait for the wedding."

Louis stared at me, his eyes were filled with sadness. He looked like he was about to cry. 

I stepped away, said goodbye, and dragged Harry away. I made a point not to look back, even though i felt Louis' eyes piercing my form as I left.


	11. You May Now Kiss the Bride

Exactly a month after Louis and Bertha went on Couple's Court, I got a 'save the date' card in the mail. The date of the wedding was in two weeks. Good god. Why was it so soon?

"He might've knocked her up." Yadira said when I told her.

"God I hope not," I replied. I don't know if Louis' hotness could override Bertha's ugly genes. I wouldn't want to find out.

But if they were getting married, they would probably have kids. And get a house. And start a life. Together. And they would be happy. Louis would be happy. And I had comply with whatever made Louis happy.

Harry and I talked about the wedding date on our walk to his house that afternoon. He promised that once the wedding was over, he'd bring me to LA and we'd stay at his house there for a while. 

I really appreciated that plan. Hopefully it'd get my mind off of Louis and Bertha's honeymoon that would be occurring at the same time. God knows where they would be going. Probably to North Carolina or wherever Bertha's hick ass was raised.

The professor finally released us from class. Yadira and I rushed out, wanting to get to the weekend as fast as we could. All I had planned was to spend the entire time at Harry's mansion, but it couldn't come fast enough. 

Yadira held the door open for me as we exited the building. England's spring time was slowly turning into summer. The hot blast of air that hit me as I walked outside said as much. I shucked off Harry's jacket that I had stolen and tied it around my waist, revealing a pink tank top that paired well with my black shorts. I quickly threw my hair in a black top-knot as I blindly followed Yadira, though I knew where we were going.

I was imagining Harry in my head, waiting in his usual spot. Leaning casually against the flagpole, looking mysterious and sexy. When he notices me, his face would brightened and he would give us a cheerful wave. 

I focusing on the ground, smiling like an idiot. I imagined me throwing myself into his arms. The summer sun beating down on us. I'd quickly kiss his cheek then bid goodbye to Yadira. Once she had walked away, I would squeeze myself into his side and wrap my arms around his chest. 

Wait... why had Harry's face morphed in my daydream. Now he kinda looked like Lou-

"LILY!" I heard someone scream from across the courtyard. It sounded like they had a southern accent.

Miscellaneous college students were blocking the speaker from view. I pushed my way through the crowd, not believing my ears. No, it couldn't be.

The crowd parted. My brown orbs fell on the ugliest girl I had ever seen.

Bertha.

What THE FUCK was she doing here.

She was the one leaning against the flagpole. Harry stood a few feet away from her, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He looked uncomfortable and... nervous?

Bertha Pickles was wearing a jumpsuit today. It was dark brown. Not the worst outfit, if not for the splotches of bright green that was marring it. She had on pink flip flops, revealing her long toe nails. 

"Hey Lily..." Harry spoke softly, reaching for me.

I slipped my arm around his waist and snuggled myself into his side. It was obvious he wanted to be saved from this woman. 

"Hi Bertha," I said, not caring that my voice was hostile, "How's the wedding planning."

"Great!" She shouted, "It helps that I did most of the preparations before I even proposed. Lou-bear making me go on that stupid cheating show."

"Wait," Harry spoke, "You were planning it before Louis even said yes?"

"Yeah!" Bertha said, not realizing how problematic that was, "I already had the venue booked! And catering."

Holy shit. What drugs was this woman taking. 

"The only thing I'm missing," Bertha started, "Is the dress. I was wondering if you wanted to go dress shopping with me Lily? What do you say?"

I was silent for a second, "I- I-"

Then, Harry spoke, "I think that's a great idea."

I almost shove him off of me.

"Really?" I said, glaring up at him.

"Yeah," He tightened the arm around my shoulders, "You guys can get to know each other better. I think it'd be good for you to have some binding time."

I was literally going to slap him.

"Perfect!" Bertha yelled, "It's set then! I'll pick you up at 12:00 tomorrow. See you then!"

She lumbered off.

"What the fuck was that!" I smacked Harry in the shoulder, "You know I don't like that woman."

"I still think it'd be good for you to get to know her! She's marrying Louis for Christ's sake. And Zayn's, Liam's, and Niall's girlfriends are going to."

I faltered, "R-Really?"

God, I didn't even know they had girlfriends. When was the last time I talked to them?

"The lads texted me this morning while you were in class asking if you were going. Even if you don't talk to Bertha, you should at least meet them. I'm sure they're lovely." Harry pleaded.

If they were anything like Bertha, I might gouge my eyes out tomorrow.

Harry slowly lead me out of school and towards his house. I brooded in silence for a while, making sure he knew my distaste for my Saturday plans. But finally, I spoke up.

"I was looking forward to spending the weekend with you though..."

Harry smiled sympathetically, "I'll be with you the rest of the time. I'll tell Bertha to pick you up from my house instead. It's only a few hours, you can survive."

I shrugged. I guess he was right.

I wonder what hideous dress Bertha would pick out tomorrow.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was planning on forcing Harry to take me to the beach today. The summer sun was out in full force and the waves were perfect. I could've probably made Harry get back on a surf board, just so I could lay on the beach and ravish him with my eyes. 

Instead, I was sitting in a musty David's Bridal with 4 girls I barely knew. Including the bride-to-be. What is my life. 

On the bright side, the other boys girlfriend's were very nice.

I immediately clicked with Lydia, Niall's girlfriend. She said she was in medical school but I swore she could've easily been a model. I kept imagining her trying on these dresses, the white would look stark against her dark skin and the beading would make the deep brown of her eyes sparkle. Instead, Bertha's pale bulky ass was trying these gorgeous gowns on.

Zayn's girlfriend, Naomi, was also pretty cool. She actually was a model. She kept giving Bertha pointers on how to pose to look the best in the dresses she was trying on. Bertha kept ignoring her, which was a tragedy. It was obvious Celia, with her beautiful blonde hair and hazel eyes, knew much more about beauty than Bertha.

Rebecca was... interesting. She said she met Liam at one of his concerts for his new album, LP1. He invited her and her friend back stage. They hit it off and Liam asked her to be his girlfriend right there. He apparently "had sparks the minute he looked into her brown eyes." Rebecca had just turned 18 and graduated from high school. Liam's 26 right now but... whatever. 

Liam released his album a few months ago. He was the last one of the boys to release a solo debut. I was excited to listen to it. The other four had blown me away with their albums, so I was expecting greatness. 

It was...

Interesting.

Besides the fact that the majority of the songs were about sex and that one song explicitly states he fuck a bitch in his car, it was meh. One song talks about how his bisexual girlfriend loves to have threesomes, which is kinda weird. It has a good beat though, sadly. Oh, and a literal lyric from one of his songs is "I don't wanna be broke when I D-I-E" so... there's that.

But putting that aside, Rebecca was still a sweet girl. It's insane to think that she was the age I was when I was first kidnapped. God, that feels like so long ago. Who knew that 5 boys picking me up off the side of the street would turn into me sweating in a David's Bridal while watching a behemoth try on dresses. 

The first dress Bertha tried on was stunning. It actually looked good on her! It was off the shoulder, with long lace sleeves. The lace stopped at her torso, revealing a long flowing skirt. 

"I really like that one," I piped in.

Rebecca nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

Bertha frowned. 

"No." Was all she stated, before trudging back into the dressing room.

The second dress was OK. Not my perfect gown by any means but it was still fine. This one was strapless and simple. No lace or beads added to the pure white fabric. There was a long train in the back, leading well past Bertha's feet. 

"That one looks good on you," Lydia chimed in, smiling warmly.

"I'm gonna break my face on this long ass tail," Bertha whined.

"It's called a train," I snapped.

"Whatever it's called, I don't like it!"

She stomped back into the dressing room.

The girls and I went back to casually chatting, sipping on our champagne. They were really nice and easy to talk to. I could see us quickly becoming friends. 

I opened my mouth to congratulate Lydia being top of her class this year, when the dressing room door slammed open.

Revealing Bertha. In the weirdest wedding dress I have ever seen.

It was strapless. The waist flared out and then came back in, the fabric stopping short at her ankles. She looked like a fucking cake.

All of us fell quiet. No one dared speak. It was so ugly.

Finally, Bertha spoke.

"It's beautiful!"

I almost spit out my champagne. I caught Naomi's eye, who looked to be trying to hold in her laughter. I turned my head quickly to look at Rebecca, who's mouth was gaping open. She shut it instantly and cleared her throat.

"I-I'm glad you like it." Rebecca said sweetly.

"Are you sure this is the one Bertha?" Lydia asked, "We haven't been here too long, you can try on more-"

"No!" Bertha practically shouted, "This one is the one. I know it. I can feel it in my heart y'all."

We fell silent again, watching in agony as Bertha spun around, even though there wasn't fabric to spin. With the way the dress was shaped, it looked like Bertha's thighs were ginormous, with a petite waist and skinny ankles. She just looked horrible.

"I'm buying this one," she said simply, turning to the worker that was helping her.

The worker cleared her throat, "Of course dear."

Bertha slipped back into the dressing room and took the horrible gown off. We kept quiet the entire time. I was worried if I tried to speak, I'd just break down laughing. Or crying. This bitch was really gonna marry Louis???

Bertha emerged again, in her usual ugly attire. She turned to us.

"I have to pee y'all. Grab my stuff and meet me at the checkout."

And with that. Bertha was gone.

The girls and I slowly rose, not sure what to do. Lydia turned to us, shrugged, then started clearing the place of Bertha's shit. She brought so much stuff with her, even though we were here for barely two hours. 

I noticed Bertha's purse was on the ground outside the dressing room. It was real leather that was dyed bright green. God, it was ugly. But I'm not surprised.

I bent down and picked it up.

"I'm gonna give Bertha her purse so she can pay," I called to the other girls.

Naomi nodded as she was grabbing out empty glasses. I turned and exited the room. I was walking towards the front of the store when I spotted Bertha's tall figure through the glass walls. 

She was standing outside. Her bulky arms were wrapped around... another man? He had a bunch of tattoos all along his arms and chest that you could visibly see with his sleeveless top. It had TRUMP 2020 printed on it. Goddamn.

He had short brown hair and shit brown eyes. I imagined he had a loud Southern accent like Bertha. Who was this guy?

Bertha was laughing at something he said, before he kissed her cheek and walked off. She turned around and entered the store, spotting me.

"Who the fuck was that?" I crossed my arms.

"Yeah, who was that Bertha?" Lydia said, the other girls following her.

"That was my brother!" Bertha laughed, "He's in town for the wedding of course."

Bertha snatched my purse and dug around in her wallet. She slid out 10 $100 bills. 

"Damn Bertha," Naomi spoke, "What do you even do for a living."

It'd be the icing on top of the cake if this bitch was a stripper.

"I'm a musician," Bertha answered while meandering to the checkout counter.

"Oh really," Rebecca cocked her head, "I've never heard any of your stuff before."

"I do country rap," Bertha handed the worker her bills, "My brother does too. He's a really famous country rapper. You might've heard him before? His name is Mini Thin."

The girls and I looked at each other, sharing our confusion. None of us had heard of this man.

"His song City Bitch is a masterpiece," Bertha stated, "Y'all need to listen to it ASAP."

I rolled my eyes. If Bertha thought it was a masterpiece it was probably trash as hell. I mean, look at the wedding dress she picked out.

The worker rang Bertha up then handed her the dress and a receipt. Without thanking the worker, Bertha walked out of the store. We wordlessly followed.

"I'll take Lily home," Lydia chimed in as we all headed out the store.

She turned to me, her dark skin shimmering in the sun, "I drove here alone, I wouldn't mind some company on the way back."

I nodded, bid the girls goodbye, then followed her to her car. She led me to a fancy black Tesla. We crawled in. She turned the car on and was about to put the car in reverse, when she paused. She swiftly turned to look at me.

"Do you think Bertha is a good match for Louis?" She asked.

"Hell no." I answered.

We were silent for a second, looking at each other. Then I busted out laughing. She immediately started giggling too. 

We sat there dying laughing for a while. I was out of breath and tears started to dot my eyes. 

"N-No but really," I cackled, "She's a fucking mess! How could Louis deal with her."

"Exactly!" Lydia agreed, "I've only met Louis once but he was nice and funny and charming. Whereas Bertha is... just... horrible!"

We laughed some more. Eventually, we calmed down, catching our breaths. 

"Louis just... deserves someone better... You know?" I said.

Lydia nodded, "I find it weird that she has no other friends you know? Like, I just met the woman today. And she was trying on wedding dresses!"

"She's just so weird," I shook my head, "I can't believe Louis fell for her."

"Did he though?" Lydia said.

I whipped my head towards her, "You see it too? He's so sad with her! It's like he doesn't even want to marry her."

"Niall said he..." Lydia started.

"Said he what?"

She shook her head, "He said that Louis never got over someone he liked a while ago... before Bertha. I think he chose Bertha to get over this other girl but... it never really worked, ya know?" 

My heart stopped. Was that girl... me? Maybe?

"Why is he marrying her then." I grumbled.

She shrugged, "I have no idea. Maybe still trying to forget this other girl?"

"I guess." I responded.

Lydia finally put the car in reverse and drove me back to my apartment. I was going to go to Harry's after this but... whatever. I had some things to think about. Maybe I'd write a song.

I thanked Lydia for the ride and told her I'd see her at the wedding. 

I flew to my up my apartment building's stairs and threw open my door. I quickly texted Harry that I was done with shitty David's Bridal and that I was gonna spend the evening here. 

I grabbed my guitar and slung it over my lap. Maybe I'd write another song to Louis. Write about how dumb he is for marrying Bertha. About never getting over that mysterious girl Lydia told me about. 

I started strumming and humming when my phone dinged. It was Harry.

You OK? Do you want me to come over there?

I typed back a response. 

No, it's ok. I just need some time to think.

Harry: OK, I love you <3

I threw my phone on the coffee table and started thinking about the lyrics I'd write to Louis.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, May 10th. The day of Louis Tomlinson's wedding to the ugliest bitch I knew. I woke up in Harry's bed. I swiftly crawled out from under the covers and made my way to the bathroom. The wedding was only in three hours, I had to get ready quick.

I heard Harry rise a few minutes after me. He left the bedroom and hopped down the stairs. Probably off to make tea.

I took a quick shower then blow dried my hair. I straightened it then threw it in a high ponytail. I did a full face of makeup, a silver eye shadow look with red lipstick. 

Then I put on the dress I picked out. It was a subtle light purple, with off the shoulder long sleeves. It cinched at the waist and had a smooth, flowing skirt that ended at my ankles. It was gorgeous. 

I checked my phone and realized it had taken two hours to get ready. I fled downstairs, where Harry was waiting. He wore a simple red button up shirt and black slacks. He looked stunning as always. 

He smiled at me, "Ready?"

I grabbed the silver clutch I had left on the couch, then nodded. We left for Louis' wedding

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The taxi let us out a few blocks from the venue. It was in the heart of London, surrounded by large historic buildings. We meandered our way there, soaking in the shining sun. It was a beautiful day for a wedding, I had to admit.

"Harry," I spoke, "Do you like Bertha?"

He shrugged, "She's a little weird. And from what you've told me about your wedding dress shopping experience, she's rude too. But, if Louis loves her-"

"That's the thing, "I jumped in. "I don't know if he does! I don't think he actually likes her."

"How do you know?"

"He's sad all the time. He doesn't act like he likes her at all! And Lydia, Niall's girlfriend, agrees with me. She said that there was some girl he never got over. And I mean, who could like Bertha? She's loud and rude. Whereas Louis is so nice and sweet and funny-"

"Lily!" Harry suddenly snapped. "Stop talking about Louis."

I slammed my mouth shut. It was so hard not to talk about him though. I mean, we're going to his wedding for Christ's sake. And it's horrible to think that this handsome, kind man is marrying this anthropomorphic asshole. 

We had made it to the venue at this point. Long brick stairs led up to a chapel. Dozens of wedding guests were milling around the top of the stairs. Harry stopped dead.

"Why do you still wear his ring Lily." He simply stated.

I was wearing the heart ring Louis got me for my 18th birthday. I never took it off.

"It reminds me of him, and all of you. Of tour and the friendship we all had," I answered.

"Why were you sad when he got engaged?" He calmly asked again.

I shook my head, "Cause I don't like Bertha OK? I think she's not the right girl for him."

"Why did you write so many songs for him? The candy apple one and so many more. I saw your notebook Lily. Every single song you write is about him."

"I don't know OK!" I snapped, "I- I don't know."

"Why haven't you told me you loved me?" His voice broke. A tear welled up in his eye. "I was trying to be patient. I didn't want you to feel forced to say it. But... I think you'll never say it to me. Because you're in love with someone else."

I started crying now. I prayed it wasn't ruining the makeup I had worked so hard on. 

"Harry-" I tried to speak.

"I can't do this anymore Lily..." Harry looked down, wiping at the tears forming, "I know I'm not the one for you. I have to stop lying to myself. And you have to stop lying to yourself." 

"Harry." I was fully crying, "I'm so sorry. I truly am sorry."

He wiped his face once more then turned around. I was about to start walking up those brick steps when he put an arm out to stop me. 

"You probably shouldn't Lily..." Harry said, sadness drenched on his face.

I stood there, dumbfounded as Harry slowly climbed the stairs. The doors opened and guests started to file into the chapel. Lydia looked down at me with a confused look. Before she could ask me something, Niall placed a hand on her back and led her inside. 

Everyone disappeared and suddenly I was alone on the street. I was just dumped. And the love of my life was getting married to another girl. What. The. Fuck.

I fell to the steps, sobbing. I moved onto my bum and sat on the steps of the chapel. I placed my head in my hands and cried my heart out. I didn't even care if I ruined my makeup at this point. 

"How does it feel to know Harry Styles will write a song about you." A voice said beside me. It sounded familiar...

"Shut............ UP " I gritted my teeth. I was not in the mood for some stranger to make fun of me.

"It'll be a banger. Can't wait." 

I quickly lifted my head and looked to my right. A girl was standing against the railing, sipping a beer. She was wearing an all black outfit with an apron at her waist. She had her light brown hair tied back into a ponytail. Her brown eyes focused on me, amusement dancing on her face.

"Olivia?" I croaked.

She gave a little wave with her beer bottle, "Hey Lily,"

I wiped my eyes then sat up, scanning her. God, it had been four years since I've seen her. She used to be my best friend, before all this happened. 

"I-" I shook my head, "Why are you here?"

"My dad owns the venue." She stated, "I'm saving up some money before I go to vet school in America."

I found myself smiling slightly, "Nice. I see you're being professional about this summer job." I motioned to her beer.

"You know it," She took another swig, "So what have you been up to? Besides breaking the heart of Harry Styles."

I gave her the middle finger. Then I sighed, "I'm going to fashion school. Hopefully I'll become a designer. Make my own clothes for celebrities and shit."

"That sounds cool," She chuckled.

I took a deep breath, then looked up at her, "Why did we stop being friends?"

"Cause I was a bitch to you." She shrugged, "I was gonna apologize but then you got... taken?... adopted? What did happen to you?"

"It's a long story," I replied simply.

She sighed, "So, I never could apologize. Then, we went on with our lives."

We stayed quiet for a while. I moved my arm towards my old best friend and opened my hand. She silently handed the beer to me. I took a long sip. 

"So," She started as I handed back the beer, "You are in love with a man that is about to get married."

"You don't have to remind me," I growled.

"But, you think he doesn't want to marry her anyways. Which I agree with, I don't see how anyone could love that woman. She yelled at me cause I brought her the wrong bottle of wine yesterday."

I chuckled, "Yeah, that sounds like Bertha."

"Sooooo..." She chugged the rest of her beer, "Why don't you tell him."

"Tell Louis?" I motioned behind us to the chapel, "He's in the middle of having his wedding?!"

"Would you stop it... if you could..." Olivia asked.

"Of course," I said with no hesitation.

"Then come on," Olivia motioned for me to rise. She started to climb the stairs.

"Where are we going?" I asked, rising.

She called over her shoulder, "You're going to crash a wedding. And I'm going to help you."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

~Louis' POV~

It was my wedding day. I've been looking forward to this day for as long as I can remember. But now... I don't even know. I feel like I should be more excited for this.

I was holding Bertha's hands while the priest read from the Bible. My bride to be was wearing an... interesting dress. Her makeup was also quite dramatic, a blend of black, brown, and green. Very Bertha.

I didn't expect this part to take so long. Was it bad to be bored at your own wedding? The priest droned on and on. Bertha picked him, of course. The only thing I had chosen was this suit. And this girl I guess. Though she wouldn't have been my first choice.

I had noticed Harry had walked in alone. He looked quite sorrowful, actually. I kept scanning the crowd, looking for Lily. I didn't see her anywhere. That made me feel more sad than it probably should have.

God, did I really want to get married? I started dating Bertha four years ago... to get over my obsession with Lily Pantii. It felt wrong to date a girl we had kidnapped. So I chose the first girl that was interested in me.

Bertha was nice enough. She had an extraterrestrial face and hideous fashion sense, but she was fine. The years passed like a blur. Every time I wanted to forget about Lily, I'd just go out with Bertha. Those dates ended up happening, a lot. I thought eventually I'd forget about Lily, and truly fall in love with Bertha. That... hasn't happened yet. 

I was about to break up with Bertha, truly. When I called Harry in desperation to talk about my suspicions of Bertha cheating, I was ready to call it off. Then Harry asked if Lily could come to and I realized... Lily didn't love me anymore. Not the way I still loved her. So I accepted her Couple's Court idea. 

I was happy for Harry and Lily. And I thought that if Bertha and I got married, then I would fall in love with her. That plan seems less and less like it'll actually happen, but a man could dream.

As the priest's speech was coming to an end, I started imagining Lily was in front of me. She'd choose a beautiful dress, that made her eyes shimmer and her skin glow. She'd be crying, as I would, if she was the girl I was going to marry. I would have butterflies in my stomach, intensely excited to kiss her. My bride. Lily Tomlinson.

I came back into reality. I started to comprehend the priest's words again.

"Does anyone object to this peaceful union between Louis Tomlinson and Gertrude Bertha Olga Pickes? Speak now or forever hold your peace."

Maybe I should speak. I think I will. I don't want to marry this girl. I opened my mouth but something cut me off. 

The mahogany double doors slammed open, like someone had kicked them in. All eyes turned to the back of the chapel. 

A goddess was standing there in a lavender gown. Wind was sweeping in from outside, causing her dark brown hair and dress to flow beautifully. My knight in shining armor. Come to save me.

Her brown eyes were starry due to the tears running down her cheeks. Her makeup was slightly messy, but she still looked gorgeous. 

Lily.

"I object," She breathed.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

~Lily's POV~

Louis dropped Bertha's hands. Tears started streaming down his face. I tried not to focus on the guests, who were no doubt mortified. 

The only person that mattered looked relieved. Like I had saved him.

"Louis," I started. Oh God, what was I going to say to the man I loved?

"Louis." I tried again, "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. If you don't wanna to do it? Then you don't have to do it. You make the decisions on what you do and what you don't do. No one else can choose if you should do it or not do it. Only you can decide to do it. And I know. I know Louis, that you do not want to do this."

He stepped down from the alter, slowly walking towards me. 

I continued. "You deserve a perfect girl. Someone who will cherish you and treat you right. Let you plan your own wedding and have your own ideas. And... your perfect girl may not be me. And that's OK. But I'm sure as hell, it's not her." I pointed to Bertha.

Bertha looked... emotionless. She just had her acryliced hands placed firmly on her hips in her cake dress. 

"But I," I spoke, "I love you Louis. And I have denied that fact for four fucking years. But now, I don't care anymore. I've hurt too many people by keeping it a secret. I love you."

The entire church was quiet. Louis was now only a few feet away from me. I was breathing hard. It was a struggle to say all those emotions out loud. I had laid my heart on the table. Louis could take it or leave it now. 

Tears were streaming down Louis' face, but he still looked as beautiful as ever. It had been forever since I really looked into those blue eyes. They looked happy, for the first time in four years.

"I love you Lily." He spoke softly, but the church was so quiet everyone could hear.

He started forward again, towards me. I started moving as well. I was about to wrap my arms around him and hug him tight, when I heard a loud shatter.

Bertha had chucked her ring at the ground. She was so weirdly strong that it had shattered into a million pieces. 

"You fucking bastard." She sounded like she was growling, "I stay with you for four years. I propose to you. I plan our wedding. And this is how you treat me? Cheating on you was the best decision of my life."

The last sentence hit me like a bullet train. Louis' face drained of color. His eyes turned sad again, his face filled with agony. 

And in that moment. I swear. I was going to commit second degree murder.

But the next thing she said was truly the one that did me in.

"James Arthur can hit it so much better than you can."

I. Was going to burn this woman alive. 

Lydia beat me to it. She stood up, strutted to Bertha, and slapped her across the face.

Naomi quickly took out her earrings and Rebecca pushed up her sleeves. They joined Lydia at the alter and started beating Bertha up.

Mini Thin stood up from where he was sitting in the front row and came to help his sister. Naomi kicked him square in the face. He was knocked out cold. 

I felt someone grab my hand. My eyes suddenly turned to the other boys, who were watching their girlfriends beat the living shit out of Bertha. I caught Harry's eye, apology evident in my eyes.

Go he mouthed, motioning for me to look behind me.

Louis was holding my hand. "Let's go," He stated.

There was actually life in his eyes. His face was bright as he looked at me, a brilliant smile plastered on his face.

I threw myself into him and kissed him hard. He immediately kissed back. Everyone was too busy with the fighting to even notice. 

He broke the kiss and picked me up bridal style. I laughed loudly as he hurried towards the back of the church.

Olivia was holding open the doors as he carried me outside. I caught her eye and she winked. 

Louis swiftly climbed down the stairs, holding me tight against him. Once we were on the sidewalk, he gently set me down. I locked my arms around his waist and cuddled myself into him.

"I'll never let you go. Not again." I spoke.

"I know," He kissed the top of my head, "I love you."

I beamed and looked into his eyes, "I love you to."

We shared another kiss. Then he slid an arm around my waist and led me into London. 

At last, I was with Louis. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was sitting in a Nando's, the classiest of all restaurants. It was the day after Louis' failed wedding. Louis brought me to his house, which was even fancier than Harry's place. We had a long and passionate night together. I was still sore this morning.

Now we having lunch with the other boys and their girlfriends, regrouping after what happened yesterday. Everyone was pretty quiet as we dug into out chicken, but finally Louis cleared his throat.

"Thank you, all of you. Especially Lydia, Naomi, and Rebecca." 

Lydia gave him a bright smile. They had beaten Bertha so badly, she had to go to the hospital. Rebecca pulled some chunks of her mullet out and Naomi bruised her legs extremely badly. She'd probably need nose surgery after what Lydia did to her horrifying face. 

"I am much happier now," Louis continued. He squeezed my hand, "Thank you all for being good mates. I'm sorry you had to witness that disaster."

We all laughed.

Harry laid a hand on his shoulder and looked at both of us with kind eyes, "I'm just glad you're happy. Both of you."

"You really put on a good show for us!" Liam laughed.

"Truly," Niall chimed in, "Lily, you kicking open those doors? A masterpiece. It was right out of a movie!"

"And that kiss, while the girls were beating up Bertha?" Zayn said, "Classsic. Very romantic."

I could feel the heat rising on my cheeks. I snuggled my face in Louis' shoulder.

"Well not to be rude, but we better get going." Naomi spoke, "We have a plane to catch."

Zayn and Naomi said their goodbyes, quickly followed by everyone else. When Lydia left, she squeezed my shoulder and told me to take care. Eventually, Harry, Louis, and I were the only ones left.

"I'm sorry, again." I said, "I shouldn't have led you on."

Harry shrugged, "It's OK Lily. I'm just glad my two best mates are happy now, truly. Besides, its given me new inspiration for my next album."

I glared at him, "You better not name the song 'candy apples.'"

Louis and Harry started laughing. Then, Harry stood up, bid us farewell, and left Nando's.

"So," Louis said, moving me so that I was now sitting on his lap, "What shall we do now?"

"Hmm." I tapped a finger on my chin, "I think I wanna explore more of that house of yours. Specifically the bed."

He gently shoved me as I started laughing. When my eyes fell back on his, he pulled me in for a kiss. 

I loved Louis Tomlinson. God, it felt good to admit it to myself.

"Come on, love." Louis helped me off his lap, then stood up, "Let's go home."

And so, Louis wrapped an arm around my waist and led me out of Nando's and into the city of London. The summer sun shined down on us, brightening our skin. The sounds of birds chirping happily filled my ears. I laid my head against Louis' shoulder.

"I love you." Louis said abruptly.

I smiled. Wow, it felt amazing to be in love. To not hide from the world. To be able to write songs about it. I was in love. I was in love with Louis Tomlinson. The greatest, most handsome, kindest, funniest, most charming, most charismatic, man in the world.

"I love you too."


End file.
